Recent News

By Category: Biological Weapons

Neurosecurity and the Ethics of Military Cognitive Enhancement

(Science Progress) Is it ethical or legal to dose detainees with oxytocin, the naturally occurring “love chemical,” to enhance interrogation? What about giving soldiers drugs intended to prevent post-traumatic stress disorder? Should external electrical stimulation be used to help warfighters learn their jobs more quickly? And what if it turns out that certain genes that Read More »

May 28, 2012
| Filed under Asia/Pacific, Europe, North America, Agents & Toxins, Biological Weapons, and International
Share

Additional Forensic Investigation of 2001 Anthrax Attacks

(Clinicians’ Biosecurity News) The FBI’s conclusion that USAMRIID scientist Dr. Bruce Ivins perpetrated the anthrax attacks of 2001 is largely built on an extensive microbial forensics investigation. That investigation linked the spores found in recovered letters to material contained in a flask labeled “RMR-1029” that was under Dr. Ivins’ control.

May 25, 2012
| Filed under North America, Biological Weapons, Bioterrorism, Policy & Initiatives, and Public Health
Share

Exposed to Anthrax? In the Future, Your Shirt Could Provide Early Warning

(Nextgov) The Pentagon wants clothing and industrial paint to be built with covert chemical warfare detectors, so that it can better anticipate threats such as anthrax, a defense solicitation reveals. The Defense Threat Reduction Agency, the unit charged with reducing threats from biological warfare and nuclear weapons, is expressing “significant interest in materials that physically Read More »

May 16, 2012
| Filed under North America, Biological Weapons, Bioterrorism, Countermeasures, Policy & Initiatives, and Research
Share

Approval Process Could Sink WMD Defense Bill

(Global Security Newswire) A bill intended to carry out expert advice on countering biological terrorism and other WMD threats is “almost assured of failure” in Congress as a result of self-interested legislators, former Senator Bob Graham (D-Fla.) told the Huffington Post last week. The House Homeland Security Committee backed the “WMD Prevention and Preparedness Act Read More »

May 15, 2012
| Filed under North America, Biological Weapons, Bioterrorism, Countermeasures, and Policy & Initiatives
Share

House bill calls for White House biodefense advisor

(CIDRAP News) A bill headed for the floor of the US House calls for appointing a special White House advisor to lead and coordinate biodefense activities, including developing a national biodefense plan and a biosurveillance strategy. Among other things, the bill (HR 2356) calls for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to assess the risks Read More »