SS: There was no transparency when government approved this. Could this be because people aren't getting flu vaccines like they once did? There's worry the viruses will mutate into something more threatening.

According to a report published in early February by the journal Science, two labs that conducted controversial lab studies to modify bird flu viruses in order to better understand the interaction between the virus and mammals were banned from continuing their research in 2014 over concerns the testing could make the viruses more dangerous for humans.

Reporters for the magazine discovered that a government panel quietly approved the resumption of the research by the two labs that are based in Wisconsin and the Netherlands, which was confirmed by the New York Times last week.