Plague Info | Plague Info & Plague News

smallpox

02/24/2018 / By Jhoanna Robinson

Controversy among scientists as “horsepox recipe” becomes public knowledge, raising fears terrorists will “hack” the virus to kill millions

A controversial paper, which was published in an issue of the journal PLOS ONE and which documents how to make a virus, has sparked public outcry in the scientific community. This bug, which is non-threatening to humans, is genetically similar to smallpox — a disease which killed at least 300 million people in the 20th century. […]

01/10/2018 / By Zoey Sky

Scientists have determined the mummified child who was killed 500 years ago died from hepatitis, not smallpox

Using DNA samples from a 500-year old mummified remains of a child, researchers were able to crack the genetic code of an ancient strain of the hepatitis B virus (HBV). The finding, wherein scientists were able to “sequence the complete genome” of the virus, could help medical experts understand the intricacies of HBV, which is a “pervasive, complex, […]

1 of 1