Songbird Fossil Virus May Help Predict Pandemics 42
An anonymous reader writes "Researchers announced they found a fossil virus hiding in the most unexpected place: the chromosomes of several songbird species. This ancient virus resembles human hepatitis B virus. Finding this ancient virus will catalyze new lines of inquiry that may help scientists predict and prevent future human viral pandemics that originate in birds."
Re:first post! (Score:1, Funny)
Congratulations on your FP. Now come collect your prize, bird flu.
Just like cyclical development (Score:3, Funny)
Quote: "But when deactivated fragments of these viral freeloaders reside in a host's genome for millions of years"
Don't you hate it when no one cleans up the unused code?
Ugh, boring. (Score:1, Funny)
Re:Just like cyclical development (Score:4, Funny)
;)
Re:Ugh, boring. (Score:4, Funny)
Way to not invent a hover-board again science.
I love that this comment implies that the /. user base would not only like scientific research to favor the production of trivial amusement devices rather than preventing massive death tolls from illnesses, but would prefer that those amusement devices be almost suicidal to use.
Re:first post! (Score:1, Funny)