Recent News

By Category: Agents & Toxins

The unsolved anthrax murder mystery

The US public health system has serious vulnerabilities, and one major problem is identifying and responding to public health crimes. The investigation into the 2001 anthrax attacks is a case in point. The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) recently published its report on the scientific methodologies used in the FBI investigation into the anthrax-laced letters Read More »

March 23, 2011
| Filed under North America, Agents & Toxins, and Public Health
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It’s time to destroy the U.S. smallpox reserves

The eradication of smallpox was possibly the greatest victory of science over disease in the history of mankind. Thanks to a determined, worldwide vaccination effort, led by the World Health Organization, the last known human smallpox case occurred over 30 years ago, in Somalia in 1977. The WHO declared smallpox eradicated in 1980.

March 17, 2011
| Filed under North America, Agents & Toxins, and Research
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Biosecurity and animal-borne viruses

Just down the highway from Lorne on Victoria’s coast is CSIRO Livestock Industries’ Australian Animal Health Laboratory (AAHL) in Geelong. And within the high-level facilities of the AAHL is the world’s largest collection of pathogenic bat viruses. Some of these – Hendra, Nipah and the SARS-like coronavirus – are very nasty indeed, and no doubt Read More »

March 17, 2011
| Filed under Asia/Pacific, Agents & Toxins, and Agriculture
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U.S. Touts Faster Anthrax Environmental Testing Method

A newly amended U.S. Environmental Protection Agency report details a new, faster environmental testing process for checking for the presence of live anthrax spores, the Center for Disease Research and Policy reported on Monday, July 20, 2010. The rapid-variability polymerase chain reaction testing process could be used in confirming that a contaminated area has been Read More »

March 9, 2011
| Filed under North America, Agents & Toxins, Biotechnology, and Countermeasures
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Locate, Lockdown, and Eliminate by Col. Randall Larsen

“Locate, lockdown, and eliminate loose nuclear material.” That is the correct strategy for preventing nuclear terrorism. Non-state actors are not capable of enriching uranium or producing plutonium. They can only buy it or steal it. Preventing the theft or sale of this material will prevent a mushroom cloud over an American city. Preventing nuclear terrorism Read More »