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2009-05-22 | |
Regrettably, it appears that dreaded future has now arrived. The May 12 Wall Street Journal carried a front-page story titled "In Attics and Closets, 'Biohackers' Discover Their Inner Frankenstein." In Massachusetts, a young woman makes genetically modified E. coli in a closet she converted into a home lab. A part-time DJ in Berkeley, Calif., works in his attic to cultivate viruses extracted from sewage. | |
Posted by:3dc |
#3 The worst bio threats may be engineered, but indirect, as it were. "In the early 1990s a European genetic engineering company was preparing to field test and then commercialize on a major scale a genetically engineered soil bacteria called Klebsiella planticola. "What they discovered was not only startling, but terrifying-- the biotech industry had created a biological monster--a genetically engineered microorganism that would kill all terrestrial plants." "K. planticola was designed to increase the production of lactose fermentation of agricultural wastes. But research showed this GM-strain actually killed any wheat planted into the soil where the GM-strain was dispersed. "K. planticola actually sticks to the root system of plants by creating a slime-like layer. The GM- K. planticola would then be connected to the plants root system and while it is there it would produce ethanol in levels of 17 ppm (~1-2 ppm ethanol is deadly for plants). "K. planticola can attach to any plants, not just wheat, so essentially all global plant life could have been put into jeopardy because of a genetically altered bacteria." |
Posted by: Anonymoose 2009-05-22 10:21 |
#2 Oh thanks. That's all I needed to add to my impotent frustration rage list. Along with the Obamatron, tanking economy, nuclear dirt bags in the Mid-East, NORKville, etc. I'm going to quit interacting with anyone that might bring me down even farther. As it is I'm looking up at soles. Luckily I'm old enough that when the manure hits the rotary impeller for the big one I can just c'est la vie. Of course my kids and grand-kids................. |
Posted by: AlanC 2009-05-22 09:59 |
#1 As haphazard and mismanaged our Public Health and sanitation system is, it's a millennium beyond various pits around the world. They will be hit the hardest and with the West scrambling to cover its own with resources dwindling [as transportation is shut down in the isolation phase], the usual 'trouble spots' will basically disappear figuratively and literally. I too believe that nukes are so 20th century and that DNA knowledge and the ability to create 'designer' plagues [and their antidote] will be something to really get humanity to the edge. What the 'bad boys' don't consider is that in one of the media event acts of terrorism may take out a loved one of somebody who can in fact make this stuff and who will not wait upon diplomacy or 'human rights' groups to mangle justice to get his/her own. |
Posted by: Procopius2k 2009-05-22 08:08 |