A genetically-modified version of the rabies virus is helping scientists at Harvard to trace neural pathways in the brain.

"Before they infect genetically-engineered mice with the rabies virus, however, they first inject the animals with a pair of "helper" viruses...."


[link to medicalxpress.com]


"Zombie Virus" Possible via Rabies-Flu Hybrid?
Highly improbable genetic tweak could create mutant virus.

Engineered Zombie Virus Possible?

It's theoretically possible—though extremely difficult—to create a hybrid rabies-influenza virus using modern genetic-engineering techniques, the University of Miami's Andreansky said.

"Sure, I could imagine a scenario where you mix rabies with a flu virus to get airborne transmission, a measles virus to get personality changes, the encephalitis virus to cook your brain with fever"—and thus increase aggression even further—"and throw in the ebola virus to cause you to bleed from your guts. Combine all these things, and you'll [get] something like a zombie virus," she said.

"But [nature] doesn't allow all of these things to happen at the same time. ... You'd most likely get a dead virus."

[link to news.nationalgeographic.com]






Highly improbable genetic tweak?