“Why Scientists Love Chasing Bats. The threat to humans from animal viruses is small. The financial incentive to pretend otherwise is large”/ WSJ

‘Gain of Function’ (GOF) research uses benign-sounding terminology to confuse people who are unfamiliar with the subject. It used to be called ‘biodefense,’ ‘biological warfare’ and ‘germ warfare’ research in past decades. The term refers to making existing microorganisms (viruses, fungi and bacteria) more dangerous, by giving them one or more new…