Your bioweapon is in the mail
November 10, 2005A New Scientist magazine study suggests it would not be difficult for a terrorist to obtain genes from the smallpox virus or a similarly vicious pathogen.
Researchers say a bioterrorist, armed with only a fake e-mail address, could probably order such deadly biological weapons online and receive them by mail within weeks.
Dozens of biotech firms now offer to synthesize complete genes from the chemical components of DNA, yet some conduct next to no checks on what they are being asked to make, or on who is making the request.
New Scientist said its investigation raises the frightening prospect of terrorists acquiring genes by mail-order for key bioweapon agents and then using them to engineer new and deadly pathogens.
New Scientist queried 16 biotech firms, asking each whether it screened orders for DNA sequences that might pose a bioterror threat. Of the 12 companies replying, only five said they screen every sequence received. Four said they screen some sequences, and three admitted not screening at all.
Whatever reasons deter some companies from screening orders, New Scientist said some firms freely admit they run no sequence screens.
"That's not our business," Bob Xue, a director of Genemed Synthesis in San Francisco, told the magazine.
Copyright 2005 by United Press International
-
Developing technologies to improve the treatment of craniosynostosis in children
Sep 06, 2011 |
not rated yet |
0
-
Boomers will be spending billions to counter aging
Aug 21, 2011 |
4 / 5 (4) |
0
-
Could gene tests tell if kids can be sports stars?
Mar 08, 2011 |
5 / 5 (3) |
1
-
Researchers discover key mutation in acute myeloid leukemia
Nov 11, 2010 |
3 / 5 (2) |
0
-
Hepatitis C virus faces new weapon
Sep 29, 2010 |
not rated yet |
0
-
Engineers build first sub-10-nm carbon nanotube transistor
Feb 01, 2012 |
4.9 / 5 (31) |
30
-
Something old, something new: Evolution and the structural divergence of duplicate genes
Jan 31, 2012 |
4.6 / 5 (7) |
1
-
The hidden nanoworld of ice crystals: Revealing the dynamic behavior of quasi-liquid layers
Jan 30, 2012 |
5 / 5 (3) |
1
-
Stock market network reveals investor clustering
Jan 27, 2012 |
3.9 / 5 (23) |
8
-
Of microchemistry and molecules: Electronic microfluidic device synthesizes biocompatible probes
Jan 26, 2012 |
5 / 5 (1) |
0
More news stories
A frank discussion of the power law and linking correlation to causation
(PhysOrg.com) -- Michael Stumpf a mathematics professor at Imperial College in London, and Mason Porter a lecturer at Oxford have teamed together to write and publish a perspective piece in Science regarding the in ...
23 hours ago |
5 / 5 (5) |
8
|
Employers feel no love for unscrupulous practice of 'service sweethearting'
A new study led by two Florida State University marketing professors finds that some frontline service employees who are rewarded for hikes in customer loyalty and satisfaction also may engage in "service ...
Other Sciences / Economics & Business
17 hours ago |
4 / 5 (1) |
7
The question of life in the ancient world
There’s a general feeling that we don’t get the Greeks – ancient or modern. Many, including heads of state like Angela Merkel, visibly shake their head in exasperation, rightly or wrongly, at ...
Other Sciences / Archaeology & Fossils
23 hours ago |
1.3 / 5 (3) |
4
Sonic Cradle lands spot in TED exhibition
A Simon Fraser University graduate student project that melds music, meditation and modern technology has landed a rare spot as an exhibit at TEDActive 2012 in Palm Springs, California this month.
19 hours ago |
not rated yet |
0
US workers are 'giving away the store,' costing firms billions
Nearly 70 percent of the nation's service employees give away free goods and services – from hamburgers to cable TV – costing companies billions of dollars a year, according to a groundbreaking study.
Other Sciences / Economics & Business
Feb 09, 2012 |
3.3 / 5 (3) |
10
Anonymous knocks CIA website offline (Update)
The website of the Central Intelligence Agency was inaccessible on Friday after the hacker group Anonymous claimed to have knocked it offline.
New error-correcting codes guarantee the fastest possible rate of data transmission
Error-correcting codes are one of the triumphs of the digital age. They’re a way of encoding information so that it can be transmitted across a communication channel — such as an optical fiber o ...
Small modular reactor design could be a 'SUPERSTAR'
(PhysOrg.com) -- Though most of today's nuclear reactors are cooled by water, we've long known that there are alternatives; in fact, the world's first nuclear-powered electricity in 1951 came from a reactor ...
New power source discovered
(PhysOrg.com) -- Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and RMIT University have made a breakthrough in energy storage and power generation.
The power of estrogen -- male snakes attract other males
A new study has shown that boosting the estrogen levels of male garter snakes causes them to secrete the same pheromones that females use to attract suitors, and turned the males into just about the sexiest ...
Advanced power-grid model finds low-cost, low-carbon future in West
(PhysOrg.com) -- The least expensive way for the Western U.S. to reduce greenhouse gas emissions enough to help prevent the worst consequences of global warming is to replace coal with renewable and other ...
