New study sheds light on the pandemic flu virus of 1918 (opens in new tab)

As usual, the press overstates the results, the article ends with a long quote from the principle researcher, which includes this gem:

"What we need to do now is to attempt to validate these hypotheses...."

But it's really interesting, and sounds pretty solid to this non-specialist. Especially since that gem above correctly indicates as far as I can tell that this is testable/falsifiable.

"A study led by Michael Worobey at the University of Arizona in Tucson provides the most conclusive answers yet to two of the world's foremost biomedical mysteries of the past century: the origin of the 1918 pandemic flu virus and its unusual severity, which resulted in a death toll of approximately 50 million people."