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February 22, 2013 In early 2012, experiments that made H5N1 bird flu more contagious caused an uproar. People feared that mutant viruses could escape the lab and kill people. To prevent a repeat, the government has unveiled a policy describing how scientists should study dangerous pathogens and toxins.

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January 23, 2013 After researchers created versions of the bird flu virus that could spread more easily, critics began to worry that the work could spawn a pandemic if a virus escaped from the lab. After halting their work for more than a year, scientists now say the benefits outweigh the risks, and they are set to restart their experiments.

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December 31, 2012 When scientists figured out how to make the deadly H5N1 virus more contagious, a debate ignited about whether to publish the research and do more experiments. Over the past year, scientists published the contentious work, but they still can't agree on the field's future.

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December 19, 2012 Scientists recently sparked controversy when they made dangerous new forms of bird flu. The National Institutes of Health is about to put in place a new system for reviewing this kind of work in the future.

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December 18, 2012 On Tuesday, the National Institutes of Health in Maryland is holding a second day of talks about whether and how to continue funding some controversial scientific experiments. Back in January, virologists agreed to temporarily stop research that was creating new forms of bird flu, because critics argued that the work was too dangerous.

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October 16, 2012 The Department of Health and Human Services' request for comments comes after some have criticized officials for not having enough public discussion about the controversial H5N1 viruses, which were created in the lab to find out if they could mutate and start a pandemic in people.

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October 9, 2012 Because of fears that lab-altered bird flu viruses could cause a deadly pandemic if they ever escaped the lab, scientists agreed to a moratorium on mutant H5N1 flu research eight months ago. Now top scientists in the field continue the debate about the work, publishing six commentaries for and against the end of the moratorium.

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July 31, 2012 Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said public discussions about controversial bird flu experiments are needed before a moratorium on them can be lifted.

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July 30, 2012 Scientists gather in New York to consider the future of bird flu research after a moratorium on the work passes. Critics say the work and its findings could pose security risks, but scientists defend their experiments as preparation for outbreaks.

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July 24, 2012 The world's top influenza researchers agreed to a voluntary moratorium on working with contagious, lab-altered forms of a particularly worrisome form of bird flu back in January. The hold was supposed to last just 60 days. It's now been more than six months, and scientists don't agree on what should happen next.

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June 21, 2012 The research paper, which has been under scrutiny for months, publishes the recipe for a potential pandemic: It shows how just a handful of genetic mutations in the bird flu virus H5N1 allow it to spread between ferrets — the lab stand-in for people — through coughs and sneezes.

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May 2, 2012 The paper describes experiments that suggest just a few genetic changes could potentially make a bird flu virus capable of becoming contagious in humans, and causing a dangerous pandemic. A fierce debate has raged over this study for months, because of fears that the work might provide a recipe for turning bird flu into a bioweapon.

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April 24, 2012 The Dutch scientist at the center of the controversy over recent bird flu experiments says that his team applied for government permission Tuesday to submit a paper describing their research to a science journal. He is optimistic the request will be granted, but had hoped he wouldn't need the special permit.

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February 15, 2012 Research in a genetically modified bird flu viruses has made it transferable among ferrets. Are humans next? Can and should scientific knowledge surrounding potentially dangerous research be controlled?

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