As part of the preparation for countering modern bird flu viruses in the event of a worldwide outbreak, scientists have turned back the clock to 1918 to study flu viruses of old to gain clues. The 1918 outbreak slew more than 50 million people worldwide with remnants of the virus available from tissue samples saved by the military. Looking into the mutations of flu viruses from last century and comparing them to modern flu viruses has shown how small variations can change a viruses lethality and infectiousness.

Outbreaks of disease serve a natural purpose - not only population control but also genetic cleansing. Are we actually weakening the human race by not allowing the body to mutate and evolve naturally? The 20th and 21st centuries have the benefit of our ancestor\'s biological immunities with the addition of modern medecine. Will the 22nd century and beyond see humans that are so biologically weakened that we rely entirely upon technology to ward off illness?