The recent swine flu outbreak that was deadly early on and quickly lost it potency, while retaining its infectiousness, seemed a bit odd in its behavior. There always seemed to be something ‘designed’ about it, where its potency died off so quickly.

Now we may have an answer (H/T reader Daniel Ortega):

The World Health Organization is investigating a claim by an Australian researcher that the swine flu virus circling the globe may have been created as a result of human error.

Adrian Gibbs, 75, who collaborated on research that led to the development of Roche Holding AG’s Tamiflu drug, said in an interview that he intends to publish a report suggesting the new strain may have accidentally evolved in eggs scientists use to grow viruses and drugmakers use to make vaccines. Gibbs said he came to his conclusion as part of an effort to trace the virus’s origins by analyzing its genetic blueprint.

“One of the simplest explanations is that it’s a laboratory escape,” Gibbs said in an interview with Bloomberg Television today. “But there are lots of others.”

Is this a bio-industry or research accident? It makes a lot of sense. Sadly, it also points out how easy bio weapons are to create. The process of using eggs to nurture viruses is not rocket science. I wish it was. But nature is not all that complicated at times.