A statement quite a bit back attracted by attention, and subsequent comment furthered what is perhaps worth a look as how an almost trivial misrepresentation can provoke invalid understanding.

The government made public the plans for weaponizing Bird Flu.

What actually happened, is that researchers in two different places were able to find fairly simple ways of modifying the genetic code of H1N1 viruses. The prevalent forms of H1N1 "bird flu" are relatively benign for humans, but a few "variants" have been found "in the wild" that are more infective. For humans infected with H1N1 in its currently common form is more lethal than (most) other flu viruses. The modifications made by these researchers made the modified virus "slightly more transmissible" to a selected variety of genetically altered laboratory mice bred for easy infection with "things similar to things that infect humans."

The researchers made arrangements to publish the results of their experiments, since it would be of critical interest and aid to medical researchers looking for how the exisitng H1N1 might, by natural genetic changes, become more highly contagious to humans.

The US Government (one agency in particular) asked them to withhold the information, since the "method" steps described might also aid "someone" attempting to develop H1N1 as a weapon. The genetic modifications described produced no changes in any way directly suitable for production of any weapon.

After a few months of discussion, mainly among researchers and scientists, and with very sparse objection from any government agency, the researchers decided that the information should be published for it's use by other medical researchers, the publishers agreed, and the reports were released.

As conducted, the methods and testing reported revealed a "weapon" that might be considered if one wants the mass destruction of a specific exceedingly rare genetically altered laboratory mouse, but is of no direct use for much of anything else.

One might be more concerned about the success of Soviet scientists who reported the manufacture of "live smallpox virus" from "raw, nongenetic materials" about 30 years ago, or the similar report of a similar "creation" of the same virus by two independent US laboratories within the past couple of years. (But I'm not particularly worried about those, and see no reason for others to worry too much thus far.)

John