FBI, CDC Investigating Vials Labeled ‘Smallpox’

Thankfully, sources don’t believe anyone has been exposed to the disease. “There is no indication that anyone has been exposed to the small number of frozen vials,” the CDC told CNN. “The laboratory worker who discovered the vials was wearing gloves and a face mask. We will provide further details as they are available.” The vials also appeared to be intact when they were found.
A similar incident occurred in 2014, when employees at the National Institutes of Health happened upon six vials of smallpox while moving lab materials. Back then biosafety personnel couldn’t identify any real risk of infectious exposure, either, though two of the vials contained “viable” virus, or disease that still lives outside of a host. The vials were transported to a high-containment CDC facility in Atlanta, where they were tested and then safely destroyed. A similar fate may await the vials just discovered in Montgomery County, which were transported to the CDC yesterday.

Smallpox hasn’t been much of a concern since 1980, before which it killed 300 million people across the span of a century. Thanks to the first vaccine developed against a contagious disease, smallpox eventually became the only human disease ever to be fully eradicated—and it’s been that way ever since. While the average person no longer receives inoculation against smallpox, vaccines are doled out to researchers and members of the military who run the risk of encountering the virus in their work. And just in case, the American government has a stockpile of smallpox vaccines large enough to inoculate everyone in the United States. (Whether that’s comforting or terrifying, you decide.)
The smallpox virus is only meant to be stored in two locations globally: at the CDC in Atlanta and at Russia’s version of the CDC. The disease is so deadly that its lab samples are intentionally restricted. All other samples were meant to be destroyed when smallpox was eradicated decades ago.
Continue reading

VIA Technologies, Zhaoxin Strengthen x86 CPU Development Ties
VIA and Zhaoxin are deepening their strategic partnership with additional IP transfers, intended to accelerate long-term product development.

Nvidia, Google to Support Cloud Gaming on iPhone Via Web Apps
Both Nvidia and Google have announced iOS support for their respective cloud gaming platforms via progressive web applications. Apple can't block that.

Qualcomm to Acquire Nuvia, Head Back Into Custom CPU Development
Qualcomm will buy Nuvia for $1.4B. The ARM CPU developer has been working on a server chip to challenge x86, but we don't know yet if Qualcomm will continue those plans.

Qualcomm Completes Nuvia Acquisition, Aims for Laptops
Qualcomm announced it has completed its acquisition of Nuvia, the CPU design company that broke cover last year with claims its architectures would outperform both Apple and x86.