Summary:
- The article discusses the recent attacks on the National Institutes of Health (NIH) by some members of Congress, who have accused the agency of funding "gain-of-function" research on coronaviruses.
- It explains that these accusations are based on a misunderstanding of the term "gain-of-function" and that the NIH has been transparent about its funding of research that aims to understand how viruses can become more transmissible or deadly.
- The article argues that these attacks on the NIH are politically motivated and that they threaten to undermine the agency's important work in advancing scientific understanding and public health.