Trump imposes decree restricting debated studies on pathogens

🤬 Yeah, check it out!

The infamous dude, Donald Trump, decided to make a move that's got scientists and politicians buzzing. He signed a decree on May 5, 2025, tapering U.S. federal funding for shady research—specifically, gain-of-function (GOF) research—especially when it involves coronaviruses and takes place in international labs with loose security. You know, the ones that can't keep a secret.

According to Health Minister Robert F. Kennedy Jr., such research "endangers humanity" due to the possibility of future unintended leaks. Such leaks could have devastating consequences, including widespread mortality, public health system collapse, economic disruption, and escalated security threats.

So what's gain-of-function research about, you ask? Well, it's when scientists tinker with pathogens to make them more contagious, lethal, or medication-resistant. The idea is to learn how these nasties can be combatted in their natural habitats when they have certain mutations. But, as we've seen in the Covid pandemic, it's a slippery slope.

The origins of the coronavirus remain controversial. While many believe it spread from animals in China, a 2023 U.S. intelligence report suggested the virus might have been genetically modified and escaped from the lab in Wuhan—where the first human cases were identified. This, of course, fueled the debate even further.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) was under fire during the debate over the coronavirus' origin. Conservative politicians accused the NIH of funding risky GOF research on coronaviruses in Wuhan, snubbing their denials. This brouhaha about the benefits and risks of this research approach has been brewing since 2011, when two research teams managed to make bird flu viruses transmissible between mammals. More on that later.

Donald Trump
Executive Order
US President
Coronavirus Concerns
Unintended Leaks
Wuhan Lab
Robert F Kennedy Jr
Gain-of-Function Research
USA
Public Health Risk

(Insight from Enrichment Data)

A more detailed look reveals that Trump's order:

Temporarily halts all new and ongoing federally funded GOF research abroad, focusing on coronaviruses due to their pandemic potential.
Prioritizes stronger transparency and stricter biosecurity measures to thwart potential public health crises.
Targets labs in countries like China and Iran, called out for inadequate oversight.
Addresses public concerns and biosecurity issues following allegations of NIH-funded GOF research in Wuhan that may have led to the pandemic.
Fits into broader admin efforts towards bolstering federal funding control and improving global health and biosecurity.
The US President, Donald Trump, issued an Executive Order on May 5, 2025, to restrict gain-of-function research involving coronaviruses in foreign labs, due to concerns about public health risks.
The order targets labs in countries like China and Iran, where biosecurity measures are questionable, as a means to prevent future unintended leaks.
Health Minister Robert F. Kennedy Jr. supports this decision, asserting that such research "endangers humanity" by potentially creating new virus strains.
The order focuses on funding for research that manipulates pathogens to make them more contagious, lethal, or medication-resistant, especially those taking place in the Wuhan lab, where the first human cases of the coronavirus were identified.
The move is a response to allegations of NIH-funded GOF research in Wuhan, which some have linked to the origins of the coronavirus pandemic, though the exact origin of the virus remains controversial.
Trump's order aims to bolster federal funding control and improve global health and biosecurity, addressing public concerns and biosecurity issues that arose from the pandemic.