Reviving ancient viruses can help fight modern ones
Insights from evolution can also improve vaccines
Humans work hard to dodge viruses. Sick people are quarantined, diseased livestock are killed and fields of infected crops set ablaze. All for good reason. Viruses are everywhere: from snowy mountain-tops to grimy lake floors. Bringing old ones back to life seems like an idea from science fiction. Resurrecting an ancient virus would surely be a disaster.
This article appeared in the Science & technology section of the print edition under the headline “Mysteries from the past”
From the December 23rd 2023 edition
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