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Silver Flu Bullets

Silver Flu Bullets By Anne Applebaum

Americans and their leaders

will have to get over their love affair with intelligent design. Polls show that most don’t believe in evolution. But

it is actually impossible to talk logically about bird flu, or any other rapidly evolving and constantly changing virus, without

using the language of evolution — specific words such as “mutant,” “recombination,” “genome” and “selection.” Without that

language, a sensible popular or political discussion, let alone a scientific discussion, is impossible: We’re stuck talking about the

virus “jumping” from birds to humans, as if it were a magic bug with a mind of its own. We’re stuck thinking that a virus is a hex that

can be lifted with a single lucky charm, not something that will change over time.

We’re also stuck with magic solutions: silver

bullets, protective amulets, Tamiflu prescriptions. And until we are willing to elect the politicians, pay the businessmen, and support

the scientists and science educators who can come up with something better, that, I’m afraid, is all the flu preparedness we’ll ever

have.

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