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Strides made in fight against bird flu
International team of researchers finds that human blood samples from Vietnam contain antibodies capable of protecting mice from infection
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Canadians form research consortium for bioactive paper
Initiative leverages advances in biochemistry with current paper-production processes; researchers aim for food packaging capable of indicating contamination
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Rope offers low-tech solution to E. coli testing problems
Alberta scientists allow cattle a good chew the night before slaughter; on-site lab then tests the saliva for signs of infection
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Vaxgen cancels anthrax vaccine program
Twenty employees are let go as company looks to sell or license its vaccine
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U.K. researchers detail genome of C. botulinum
Effort helps explains the genetic differences between the various types of clostridia
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Greater role for private industry in foreign food safety
Worries about terrorism notwithstanding, the number of imported food inspectors at U.S. seaports continues to decline; private industry may have to pick up the slack
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Sandia and Tenix complete testing of water monitoring system
A Bay Area utility is temporary home for this innovative unattended water sensor; automated sample preparation technology permits rapid detection
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Israeli army under fire for unethical anthrax testing program
Troops were given an experimental vaccine but could not discuss the matter with their military physicians
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How many mosquitoes does it take to eradicate disease?
Stanford researchers offers a mathemtocal model to evaluate the effectiveness of geneticallymodified mosquitoes in eradicating disease
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Acambis smallpox vaccine shows promise
Tests of U.K. company Acambis’s new smallpox vaccine show it is as effective as the old vaccine Dryvax, which is no longer being produced
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Color-changing material indicates chemical weapons exposure
Tiny polymer spheres are melted into a shimmery sheet; technology could have appplications in food safety and anti-counterfeiting efforts
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US Genomics wins Phase III biodefense contract
$8.6 million deal will assist the company complete prototype development
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Hopkins students devise rotavirus vaccine on a dissolvable strip
Similar to Listerine PocketPaks, vaccine goes down easy for fussy children; unlike liquid vaccines, this one does not require refrigeration
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NASA tests space-bound rapid bacteria assay
Trips to Mars may expose astronauts and their equipment to dangerous bacteria and fungi
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Temple researchers smell success with biosensor project
Genetic engineering crosses a yeast with the olfactory chemical receptors of a rat
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The long view
What We’ve Learned from Survivors of the Atomic Bombs
Q&A with Dr. Preetha Rajaraman, New Vice Chair for the Radiation Effects Research Foundation in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan.
Combatting the Measles Threat Means Examining the Reasons for Declining Vaccination Rates
Measles was supposedly eradicated in Canada more than a quarter century ago. But today, measles is surging. The cause of this resurgence is declining vaccination rates.
Social Networks Are Not Effective at Mobilizing Vaccination Uptake
The persuasive power of social networks is immense, but not limitless. Vaccine preferences, based on the COVID experience in the United States, proved quite insensitive to persuasion, even through friendship networks.
Vaccine Integrity Project Says New FDA Rules on COVID-19 Vaccines Show Lack of Consensus, Clarity
Sidestepping both the FDA’s own Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee and the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), two Trump-appointed FDA leaders penned an opinion piece in the New England Journal of Medicine to announce new, more restrictive, COVID-19 vaccine recommendations. Critics say that not seeking broad input into the new policy, which would help FDA to understand its implications, feasibility, and the potential for unintended consequences, amounts to policy by proclamation.
Are We Ready for a ‘DeepSeek for Bioweapons’?
Anthropic’s Claude 4 is a warning sign: AI that can help build bioweapons is coming, and could be widely available soon. Steven Adler writes that we need to be prepared for the consequences: “like a freely downloadable ‘DeepSeek for bioweapons,’ available across the internet, loadable to the computer of any amateur scientist who wishes to cause mass harm. With Anthropic’s Claude Opus 4 having finally triggered this level of safety risk, the clock is now ticking.”
“Tulsi Gabbard as US Intelligence Chief Would Undermine Efforts Against the Spread of Chemical and Biological Weapons”: Expert
The Senate, along party lines, last week confirmed Tulsi Gabbard as Director of National intelligence. One expert on biological and chemical weapons says that Gabbard’s “longstanding history of parroting Russian propaganda talking points, unfounded claims about Syria’s use of chemical weapons, and conspiracy theories all in efforts to undermine the quality of the community she now leads” make her confirmation a “national security malpractice.”