Reuters: US Asks Scientific Journals to Censor Bird Flu Studies!

The US government has asked the scientific journals Nature and Science to censor data on a laboratory-made version of bird flu, that could spread more easily to humans, fearing it could be used as a potential weapon. The US National Science Advisory Board for Bio-security asked the two journals to publish redacted versions of studies by two research groups that created forms of the H5N1 avian flu that could easily jump between ferrets, typically considered a sign that the created forms of the virus could quickly spread among humans. The journals are objecting to the request, saying it would restrict access to information that might advance the cause of public health. The request was a first for the expert panel, formed after a series of anthrax attacks on US targets in 2001. It advises the Department of Health and Human Services and other federal agencies about "dual use" research that could serve public health, but could also be a potential bio-terror threat. "NSABB has never before recommended to restrict communications on research that NSABB has reviewed that has potential dual use implications," Dr. Amy Patterson, Director of the National Institutes of Health's Office of Biotechnological Activities, said a statement.