Dr Palese points out in Nature that his success prompted many other researchers to enter the field.

ECONOMIST: Flu research and public safety

One prominent critic, Peter Palese, of the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York, recalls his own work in 2005 on the reconstruction of the Spanish-flu virus.

ECONOMIST: Flu research and public safety

"I don't think this virus has what it takes to become a major problem, " says Peter Palese, chairman of the department of microbiology at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York.

CNN: Swine flu, part II: What's in store in the months to come