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Smallpox was one of the most dangerous and highly contagious diseases that the world has ever known. Prior to its eradication, the illness claimed over one billion lives. Vaccination has played a major role in finally ridding the human race of smallpox. However, scientists recently proved that it can be revived quite easily and for a relatively small amount of only $100,000.
As financial matters go, $100,000 might not seem cheap, but it’s a pittance compared to the funding that governments and private organizations funnel into their scientific research. What’s more, radical groups and terrorist chapters are known for having deep pockets. Weaponized smallpox would be a devastating weapon and Canadian scientists recently proved that it can be done, The Verge reports.
To be clear, the organism that the research group led by virologist David Evans revived was not smallpox, but its cousin horsepox. With a limited budget to work with and garden variety tools, the team managed to resurrect a rather harmless piece of history.
As far as scientific pursuits go, this development is a wonder. For researchers to make such an achievement with no considerable funding or specialized equipment is simply masterful.
On the other hand, it also puts the world in grave danger. As Science magazine put it, getting rid of smallpox took decades of effort and billions of dollars in funding, not to mention the lives lost in the process. The idea that individuals with nefarious purposes can undo so much work with nothing more than what amounts to the costs of a luxury car and order supplies online is alarming, to say the least.
For Dr. Evans and his team, what they were hoping to achieve is to unlock the secrets of the smallpox vaccine and create a better, more powerful one. Unfortunately, good intentions have never prevented those with evil schemes from using scientific advances to further their own ends.
