Research ban will not make us safer
The US House of Representatives recently approved a ban on “gain-of-function” research that supposedly modifies pathogens so as to make them more dangerous to humans. This may seem like a good idea, but there is more to it than meets the eye. Gain of function (GoF) refers to mutations in genes that render their products, proteins that function as enzymes, transporters, binding agents etc, more active. Such mutations have occurred throughout evolution (as have their opposites, loss-of-function (LoF) mutations). Whether these benefit the organism depends on many factors, but the current...