Twenty First Century Biological Threats

Biological Threats in the 21st Century offers a fresh understanding of contemporary biological threats to national security. Readers are introduced to the politics, people, science and historical roots of contemporary biological threats through up-to-date, rigorous and accessible chapters written by leading academics and supplemented by expert point-of-view contributions and interviews. The book provides inspiration and resources for students and researchers, as well as policy makers in government, the public policy sector and the wider community. It is particularly pertinent for those interested in biological disarmament, non-proliferation, counterterrorism and health security. Contents:Editor's Introduction: The Politics, People, Science and Historical Roots (Filippa Lentzos)Crossing the Normative Barrier: Japan's Biological Warfare in China in World War II (Jeanne Guillemin)Past Proliferators:The British, United States and Canadian Biological Warfare Programs (Brian Balmer & John Ellis van Courtland Moon)Point of View: Open-Air Biowarfare Testing: American and British Experiences (Leonard A Cole)The Soviet Biological Warfare Program (Jens H Kuhn & Milton Leitenberg)Point of View: Life Inside the Soviet Bioweapons Program (Sonia Ben Ouagrham-Gormley)The Iraqi Biological Warfare Program (Tim Trevan)Point of View: Hunting Saddam's Biological Weapons: A First-Hand Account (Gabriele Kraatz-Wadsack)The South African Biological Warfare Program (Alastair Hay)Point of View: Open Secrets: 'Truth Telling' and Transitional Justice in Revealing Biowarfare Programs (Chandré Gould)Bioweapons in Today's Context :RISE, the Rajneeshees, Aum Shinrikyo and Bruce Ivins (W Seth Carus)Point of View: Inside the Mind of a Bioterrorist (Toby Ewin)Aftershocks of the 2001 Anthrax Attacks (Kathleen M Vogel)Point of View: The Threat of Misuse (Gigi Kwik Gronvall)Searching for Cures or Creating Pandemics in the Lab? (Nancy D Connell & Brian Rappert)Point of View: Dangerous Life Sciences Research (David R Franz)Ebola: From Public Health Crisis to National Security Threat (Nicholas G Evans)Point of View: Building a Sustainable Biodefense Industry (Jacob Thorup Cohn)Quandaries in Contemporary Biodefense Research (Gregory D Koblentz)Disarmament and Non-Proliferation:The Traditional Tools of Biological Arms Control and Disarmament (Marie Isabelle Chevrier & Alex Spelling)Witness Seminar: Origins of the Biological Weapons Convention (Jeanne Guillemin, Matthew Meselson, Julian Perry Robinson & Nicholas Sims)Interview: Unconventional Weapons and Activist Scientists (Steven Rose & Filippa Lentzos)Point of View: Responsible Science: Strategies for Engaging Key Stakeholders (Jo L Husbands)Interview: International Security and Counter-Terrorism (Trevor Smith & Filippa Lentzos)Point of View: The Front Lines of Biological Weapons Non-Proliferation (Melissa Finley & Jennifer Gaudioso)Roundtable: The Future of Biothreat Governance (Iris Hunger, Jez Littlewood, Caitriona McLeish, Piers Millett & Ralf Trapp) Readership: Students and researchers, as well as policy makers in government, the public policy sector and the wider community. It is particularly pertinent for those interested in biological disarmament, non-proliferation, counterterrorism and health security.

Daniel Gerstein draws on twenty-nine years of experience in the security and defense sectors to address the threat of bioterrorism in the twenty-first century. He warns that while the proliferation of knowledge and capabilities in the field of biotechnology offers ever-increasing opportunities for scientific breakthroughs, the potential for the misuse of that knowledge also increases. Gerstein takes a classic game theory approach in his analysis of the potential for a bioterror attack in the future. His examination provides an objective capability for assessing threats, understanding emerging trends, and developing mitigation strategies. However, in the end the book is less about predicting future behavior than about understanding the framework in which dangerous capabilities are allowed to proliferate. The study also makes a valuable contribution to the debate over perceived threats and vulnerabilities in this new global environment.

Although its importance is not always recognized, theory is an integral part of all biological research. Biologists' theoretical and conceptual frameworks inform every step of their research, affecting what experiments they do, what techniques and technologies they develop and use, and how they interpret their data. By examining how theory can help biologists answer questions like "What are the engineering principles of life?" or "How do cells really work?" the report shows how theory synthesizes biological knowledge from the molecular level to the level of whole ecosystems. The book concludes that theory is already an inextricable thread running throughout the practice of biology; but that explicitly giving theory equal status with other components of biological research could help catalyze transformative research that will lead to creative, dynamic, and innovative advances in our understanding of life.

Now more than ever, biology has the potential to contribute practical solutions to many of the major challenges confronting the United States and the world. A New Biology for the 21st Century recommends that a "New Biology" approach-one that depends on greater integration within biology, and closer collaboration with physical, computational, and earth scientists, mathematicians and engineers-be used to find solutions to four key societal needs: sustainable food production, ecosystem restoration, optimized biofuel production, and improvement in human health. The approach calls for a coordinated effort to leverage resources across the federal, private, and academic sectors to help meet challenges and improve the return on life science research in general.

This publication gives a history of biological warfare (BW) from the prehistoric period through the present, with a section on the future of BW. The publication relies on works by historians who used primary sources dealing with BW. In-depth definitions of biological agents, biological weapons, and biological warfare (BW) are included, as well as an appendix of further reading on the subject. Related items: Arms & Weapons publications can be found here: https://bookstore.gpo.gov/catalog/arms-weapons Hazardous Materials (HAZMAT & CBRNE) publications can be found here: https://bookstore.gpo.gov/catalog/hazardous-materials-hazmat-cbrne