Were those two suspicious tractor-trailers found in Iraq really mobile weapons laboratories? The difficulty we are having answering that question shows just how tricky defending America against bioterrorism is going to be. In truth, it is possible to imagine a malicious use for virtually any biological research or production site. The difference between a lab for producing lifesaving vaccines and one capable of making deadly toxins is largely one of intent. As molecular biology continues to advance, this problem will become only more acute. Within a few years it may be possible for an inexperienced graduate student with a few thousand dollars worth of equipment to download the gene structure of smallpox, insert sequences known to increase infectiousness or lethality, and produce enough material to threaten millions of people. Yet, perversely, all of the information and equipment needed to create such a “supervirus” would have been developed in the struggle to cure disease. Full Story
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