A Virus That Killed Millions in 1918 Sheds New Light on Avian Flu

By LILA GUTERMAN

Afraid that history may repeat itself, scientists have studied and reconstructed the deadly influenza virus that caused the vast flu pandemic of 1918. What they found was not cheering: In the virus's genetic sequence and in the way it attacks its victims' lungs, the scientists saw parallels between the 1918 virus and a flu virus that today infects birds in Asia. The researchers's efforts hint that the world may soon face another pandemic with the potential to kill tens of millions of