Gregory Koblentz, a member of the Center’s Scientists Working Group on Chemical and Biological Security, spoke with Grid News about how to think about experimentation on viruses. Pandemic prevention and lab safety rules “only move in fits and starts,” said biodefense professor Gregory Koblentz of George Mason University, pointing to the long list of past […]
Controlling Novichok Nerve Agents after the Skripal and Navalny Incidents
Gregory Koblentz and Stefano Costanzi, members of the Center’s Scientists Working Group on Biological and Chemical Security, authored a paper in NCT Magazine about controlling Novichok nerve agents in light of recent events. Since Novichok nerve agents came to public attention following a high-profile assassination attempt in 2018, the international chemical weapons nonproliferation regime has […]
When the Absurd Becomes Too Real
By John Erath Despite the name, this blog is about more than nuclear weapons. Today, it is time to discuss a different hazard: biological weapons. Sadly, bio weapons are almost as old as war itself. Ancient histories recount cases where diseased animals were used to introduce pathogens into besieged cities. More recently, the COVID-19 pandemic, […]
ISIS planned chemical attacks in Europe, new details on weapons program reveal
Greg Koblentz, member of the Scientists Working Group, was quoted in The Washington Post. “If Abu Malik had survived, his experience working for Saddam’s program would have made the threat of the Islamic State’s chemical weapons much higher,” said Gregory Koblentz, an expert on chemical and biological weapons and director of the Biodefense Graduate Program at […]
Amid the Turmoil of Covid, Biosafety Legislation Gets Political
Greg Koblentz, member of the Scientists Working Group, was quoted in Undark. Reforms are receiving “a lot more attention,” said Gregory Koblentz, a biodefense expert at George Mason University. But, he added, “the part that really concerns me right now is this kind of hyper-partisan polarization of this issue, which might make it harder to […]
