NODE 04b3a061Re: Fear of Flying -- from HotWired
Adamsc@io-online.com (Adamsc)Wed, 18 Sep 1996 06:28:27 +0800
On Thu, 12 Sep 1996 12:03:18 -0700, Bill Frantz wrote:
>>... former CIA director James Woolsey: responded with some seemingly
>> gratuitous anti-Net
>> rhetoric. Terrorists may use biological weapons like anthrax, he said.
>> "Anthrax is colorless, odorless, and has a 90 percent lethality. One
>> gram has 100 million lethal doses." Then Woolsey delivered the zinger:
>> "The knowledge of how to make anthrax is widely available, including
>> on the Internet."
>Gee, biotech has come a long way. Now I can download the Anthrax DNA
>sequence from the net and insert it in some carrier bacteria and start
>making Anthrax bacteria. Neat!
Now the bad news: the DNA replicator only works under Windows 95 and comes
with buggy drivers!
>Or did he mean I can chemically synthesize Anthrax toxin? Or did he mean I
>can get information on culturing bacteria on the net, but must obtain a
>sample of the bacteria from other sources?
<sarcasm>
I guess we need to ban all those "science" pages; after all, why would any
non-terrorist want to learn about bacteria?
</sarcasm>
>BTW - My dictionary says that Anthrax is primarily an animal disease which
>only occasionally infects humans. It sounds like a poor choice for bio-war
>terror.
Unfortunately, it can be very deadly. The idea here is that it rarely infects
humans - in the normal course of events. If a determined biowarrior is trying
to infect people, all bets are off.
# Chris Adams <adamsc@io-online.com> | http://www.io-online.com/adamsc/adamsc.htp
# cadams@acucobol.com | V.M. (619)515-4894
"I have never been able to figure out why anyone would want to play games on
a computer in any case when the whole system is a game. Word processing,
spreadsheets, telecoms -- it's all a game. And they pay you to play it."
-- Duncan Frissell
NODE b9c976eaAnthrax on the 'net [Was Re: Fear of Flying -- from HotWired ]
Mike Fletcher <fletch@ain.bls.com>Wed, 18 Sep 1996 08:53:00 +0800
>>Gee, biotech has come a long way. Now I can download the Anthrax DNA
>>sequence from the net and insert it in some carrier bacteria and start
>>making Anthrax bacteria. Neat!
> Now the bad news: the DNA replicator only works under Windows 95 and comes
> with buggy drivers!
Buggy drivers? But isn't that the point in this case? :)
> Unfortunately, it can be very deadly. The idea here is that it rarely infect
s
> humans - in the normal course of events. If a determined biowarrior is tryin
g
> to infect people, all bets are off.
The Frank Herbert (of _Dune_ fame) book _White Plague_ comes
to mind. Basically a molecluar biologist's wife and kids are killed
by an IRA bomb while visiting Dublin. He snaps and creates a plague
which kills women (men are carriers) as revenge. All without using
that nasty Internet (in fact, the book was written back before even
ARPAnet).
---
Fletch __`'/|
fletch@ain.bls.com "Lisa, in this house we obey the \ o.O' ______
404 713-0414(w) Laws of Thermodynamics!" H. Simpson =(___)= -| Ack. |
404 315-7264(h) PGP Print: 8D8736A8FC59B2E6 8E675B341E378E43 U ------
NODE c99e0f76Re: Anthrax on the 'net [skating rinks to be outlawed]
#6 <null@void.gov>Wed, 18 Sep 1996 14:07:48 +0800
Two teens reported being propositioned, outside the neighborhood skating
rink, to participate in the making of some kiddie porn. They called
police who made some arrests (I think).
The city council is considering legislation to outlaw skating rinks.
NODE f2155e00Re: Fear of Flying -- from HotWired
Black Unicorn <unicorn@schloss.li>Wed, 18 Sep 1996 17:23:30 +0800
On Tue, 17 Sep 1996, Adamsc wrote:
> On Thu, 12 Sep 1996 12:03:18 -0700, Bill Frantz wrote:
>
> >>... former CIA director James Woolsey: responded with some seemingly
> >> gratuitous anti-Net
> >> rhetoric. Terrorists may use biological weapons like anthrax, he said.
> >> "Anthrax is colorless, odorless, and has a 90 percent lethality. One
> >> gram has 100 million lethal doses." Then Woolsey delivered the zinger:
> >> "The knowledge of how to make anthrax is widely available, including
> >> on the Internet."
>
> >Gee, biotech has come a long way. Now I can download the Anthrax DNA
> >sequence from the net and insert it in some carrier bacteria and start
> >making Anthrax bacteria. Neat!
Culturing and growing anthrax is painfully simple. No DNA required.
> >BTW - My dictionary says that Anthrax is primarily an animal disease which
> >only occasionally infects humans. It sounds like a poor choice for bio-war
> >terror.
Incorrect. It is highly problematic and very nasty when it is properly
delivered. The hardest thing about anthrax is to get an areosol fine
enough to present an inhalation risk. (This is why it does not
generally cause problems in humans- it's rare for it to get this fine).
> Unfortunately, it can be very deadly. The idea here is that it rarely infects
> humans - in the normal course of events. If a determined biowarrior is trying
> to infect people, all bets are off.
Exactly.
>
> # Chris Adams <adamsc@io-online.com> | http://www.io-online.com/adamsc/adamsc.htp
> # cadams@acucobol.com | V.M. (619)515-4894
--
I hate lightning - finger for public key - Vote Monarchist
unicorn@schloss.li