Thank you for the summary, Nancy. I am so disappointed that I had to miss it!
----- Original Message ----- From: [email protected] To: [email protected] Sent: Wednesday, February 04, 2009 6:58 AM Subject: Re: DNA in action! Last night's R-Spec meeting was fascinating -- it was too bad that only seven people could make it. Mark Zahn, Alicia's boss, spoke about Biodefense. He slanted his talk toward practical knowledge for SF writers who want to include weaponized genemods in their stories, and he did a wonderful job. He talked about which pathogens best lend themselves to modification (Ebola, for instance, has a very small genome and produces only eight proteins, which means there's just not room enough in the cell to fit a lot of extra, genetically engineered stuff.) Mark covered the assembly of viruses using sequencing data and "off-the-shelf" sections of DNA. He talked about the origins and spread of epidemics. I hadn't known that the natural host for influenza was an Asian species of duck, and that the way vaccine makers guess at which strains of flu will hit in a given winter is by examining ducks in late summer. The talk also covered what you need for a rogue genemod lab to weaponize pathogens: off-the-rack equipment, experienced talent, and no more than a few million dollars. What the Russians may or may not have been doing in this regard was discussed, including a recommendation for Ken Alibek's scary book BIOHAZARD (which I have read -- it's horrifying). Mark finished with an overview of surveillance techniques used to spot and track epidemics so that appropriate measures can be taken, including quarantine if necessary. Thank you, Alicia. It was terrific. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Who's never won? Biggest Grammy Award surprises of all time on AOL Music. --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "R-SPEC: The Rochester Speculative Literature Association" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/r-spec?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
