Engineered for Destruction

Plague, influenza, coronavirus... pandemics throughout history reveal successful viruses built for destruction. Mystery often surrounds the origins of these baddies. How did they come to be? Are dangerous viruses usually created in a lab, or is nature the real mad scientist? Learn how scientists can tell whether newsworthy nasties (like viruses and bacteria) are natural, or D-I-Y'd by humans! Hint: tracking the genetic family tree of the most infamous examples reveals the answer.Written and reported by Brenna Biggs.