Conclusions

摘要

The end of the year 2011 saw a major challenge to the traditional interpretation of what is commonly referred to as 'scientific freedom'. Research carried out in The Netherlands and the United States, funded by the US National Institutes of Health (NIH), investigated the conditions under which mutation of the H5N1 influenza virus ('avian flu') would occur and the speed with which the virus could mutate into a form that could be spread between humans by coughing or sneezing. On the basis of security concerns (Berns et al. 2012), the editors of two major scientific journals, Science and Nature, in response to requests from the US Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), the NIH and the National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity (NSABB), required the authors of two submitted manuscripts to make changes to them prior to publication. This requirement was set out in the form of recommendations from the NSABB. The statement said: