Gain of Function is Not Like Nuclear Science

All the Risk with none of the Benefit

Now that the Wuhan Lab Leak is “Suddenly” okay to talk about, there’s going to be an upcoming debate over Gain of Function Research. Many frame this debate as a balance between high risk, viruses leaking from the lab, versus high reward, developing drugs and vaccines to prevent future natural emerging viruses. A comparison is often made to Nuclear Power, high risk, meltdown and nuclear waste, versus high reward, clean power. I find this comparison to Nuclear Science lacking.

Nuclear science has risks, but the real world benefits are many fold larger. Nuclear power is the cheapest source of clean baseline electricity today, and the future potential of nuclear power is electricity so cheap it wouldn't have to be metered.

Compare that to Gain of Function. We all now understand the risks..., but what are the benefits? Scientists claim it will help with combatting future pandemics. Please! It didn't help at all with a pandemic virus identical to what was being studied!

• It didn't help with the vaccines. We have mRNA research to thank for that.

• It didn't help with treatments. In fact the same scientists that have pushed GoF seemed to downplay any potential treatments for Covid.

Can any scientist point to a single real benefit in the world today that was created using Gain of Function research? If it exists I don't believe we've heard of it.

It seems the risks of Gain of Function are all too real while the benefits are all theoretical and intangible... Count me extremely skeptical.

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