(Download) "Securing Life Sciences Research in an Age of Terrorism: Bioscientists Must Work Closely with the Government to Minimize the Possibility That Vitally Important Research Could Be Misused to Threaten Public Health Or National Security." by Issues in Science and Technology # eBook PDF Kindle ePub Free
eBook details
- Title: Securing Life Sciences Research in an Age of Terrorism: Bioscientists Must Work Closely with the Government to Minimize the Possibility That Vitally Important Research Could Be Misused to Threaten Public Health Or National Security.
- Author : Issues in Science and Technology
- Release Date : January 22, 2006
- Genre: Engineering,Books,Professional & Technical,
- Pages : * pages
- Size : 738 KB
Description
The anthrax attacks that closely followed the 9/11 terrorist attacks helped create a sense that danger was everywhere. They also helped create a crisis for science. Government statements that the anthrax attacks had most likely been carried out by a U.S.-based microbiologist who had obtained the deadly Ames strain of Bacillus anthracis from a culture collection raised serious concerns about the security of potentially dangerous biological agents as well as the trustworthiness of scientists. The U.S. public began to take a dual view of the scientific community: capable of doing both great good (lifesaving medical treatments) and great harm (research that could be abused by terrorists). In the five years since the attacks, the government has taken a number of sound steps to prevent the acquisition by terrorists of dangerous pathogens and toxins that could be used against civilian populations. It has also begun to deal with the more complex issue of how to secure new knowledge that could be misused to cause harm. In taking these actions, however, the government has raised fears among scientists that national security concerns will undermine scientific progress. So far, these fears have proven unfounded. Instead of a heavy-handed approach, the government has in large part supported a system of voluntary self-governance by scientists. Despite this, a significant part of the scientific community continues to oppose the additional government scrutiny for reasons ranging from a belief that it will not be effective to the larger concern that it could inhibit or even preclude scientific research that could lead to effective countermeasures against potentially dangerous bioagents.