Custom made bio weapons

8 years ago, I worked on a couple of construction projects at the Pentagon, nothing classified nor did I see anything classified.

In one meeting, we had some down time and the Major told me he had just gotten back from a seminar in counter terrorism. He said it was feared that terrorist would be able to develop "customized bio weapons" because of genotype technology. For example, terrorists could develop a weapon that could kill whites or blacks only, or if terrorists wanted Person X dead, they would be develop a virus that only Person X could get and die from. This would seem like the flu, and oh well.

I wonder if any one has actually been working on this type of weapon. This is kind of scary because this could take ethnic cleansing to whole new level.

Any comments or observations?

A lie, from him - I'll believe you - And relatively impossible, particularly for someone with the sophistication of a terrorist organization.

If it were at all possible, it'd be from state-of-the-art facilities; Russia, U.S., etc.

If anyone could do it , it would be the russians since they`re about 10>15 years ahead of the USA in this field

Mainly myth.

There have been rumours about ethnic specific bioweapons for years - google on it and you'll see the usuall conspiracy blather.

In 1998 the Times carried a report about Israel working on an anti-Arab weapon
en.wikipedia.org... - which appears to jhave been a hoax.

The South Africans were also said to be working on a similar weapon, a "Black Bomb" to target certain ethnicities - www.commondreams.org...

In WWII , the US worked on race-specific weapons to target the Japanese -
www.counterpunch.org...

Nothing has come of any of these as far as I know. There is a deep-seated problem because "race", as we now know, is not really a scientific concept and it's hard to see how any kind of race-specific wepaon would actually work.

However, it's a terrific one for getting publicity.

"race specific" bioweapons are only as specific as the surface antigens you would be using as a target. As these are hyper-variable you would probably have to settle for using a surface antigen or adhesion molecule that was only 'more likely' to occur in any one race. The result being it would make your bioweapon slightly more targeted, but thats about it.
The idea behind "race" weapons is an idea that is based on the false assumption, the idea that there are defined "race genes". This is totally untrue. What can just about be observed (but pretty controversially…) are higher or lower proportions of certain genes within populations of peoples of different race.

In short, the concept of "race" does not exist at a cellular level. As an example; a recent study found more averaged genetic variability between African’s within different regions of Africa than between genetically averaged Africans and genetically averaged Europeans.

On a more practical level, it would also be far, far, far easier to construct your self a nuclear weapon than build a bioweapon.

Polskoo

reply to post by Wembley


I am sure the idea isn't new, but the same technology that will some day cure diseases such as cancer, could be used as a weapon. We are learning so much about human genotype such weapons would be in our new future.

[edit on 7/23/08 by mabus325]

in the 1990`s the russian were RNA splicing virus - ebola and smallpox being the ultimate product.

Have any of you played the PS3 game Metal Gear Solid 4?

Cos this exact thing happens in the game haha, a man made virus which is designed to attack only a few chosen people