By Sophy Macartney Dual-use technologies have been a concern of national security since the 1950s and were originally targeted at preventing the diversion of items with military uses. The scope of dual-use export controls has since shifted toward preventing the covert development of nuclear weapons. But as technology and science developments speed up, the danger […]
Biological and Chemical Weapons
Good News on Chemical Weapons
By John Erath On July 7, the United States eliminated the last of its chemical weapons, ending a Cold War-era program more than 20 years after signing the Chemical Weapons Convention. Although the world is a safer place with fewer chemical weapons, the threat has not been eliminated as evidenced by Syria’s use of chemical […]
The end of the cornerstone of biosecurity preparedness
By Sophy Macartney The toll of COVID-19 on the United States revealed a lack of preparedness and vulnerability to biological threats and the mass destruction they could create. Biological threats should be at the forefront of national and health security priorities in response to pandemics like COVID-19 as well as the rising chances of biological […]
Research with exotic viruses risks a deadly outbreak, scientists warn
Greg Koblentz, a member of the Center’s Scientists Working Group of Chemical and Biological Threats, spoke with The Washington Post about biosafety in BSL-4 labs. “Global Biolabs, the advocacy group, found that nearly 1 in 10 BSL-4 labs operating in other countries score poorly in international rankings for lab safety. In some cases, labs were constructed […]
A Major Clue to COVID’s Origins Is Just Out of Reach
Saskia Popescu and Greg Koblentz, members of the Center’s Scientists Working Group of Chemical and Biological Threats, spoke with The Atlantic about releasing data on COVID’s origins. “If the international team released what data it has, it could potentially stoke the fracas in other ways. The World Health Organization has publicly indicated that the data […]
