Portal:Biological warfare

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There is a clear overlap between biological warfare and chemical warfare, as the use of toxins produced by living organisms is considered under the provisions of both the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention and the Chemical Weapons Convention. Toxins, which are of organic origin, are often called "midspectrum agents". A biological weapon may be intended to kill, incapacitate, or seriously impair a person, group of people, or even an entire population. It may also be defined as the material or defense against such employment. Biological warfare is a military technique that can be used by nation-states or non-national groups. In the latter case, or if a nation-state uses it clandestinely, it may also be considered bioterrorism.The Geneva convention restricts the use of biological and chemical weapons as it is against human rights to use them. More about Biological warfare... edit   Selected article Biotechnology is technology based on biology, agriculture, food science, and medicine. Modern use of the term usually refers to genetic engineering as well as cell- and tissue culture technologies. However, the concept encompasses a wider range and history of procedures for modifying living organisms according to human purposes, going back to domestication of animals, cultivation of plants and "improvements" to these through breeding programs that employ artificial selection and hybridization. By comparison to biotechnology, bioengineering is generally thought of as a related field with its emphasis more on mechanical and higher systems approaches to interfacing with and exploiting living things. United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity defines biotechnology as: "Any technological application that uses biological systems, living organisms, or derivatives thereof, to make or modify products or processes for specific use." Biotechnology draws on the pure biological sciences (genetics, microbiology, animal cell culture, molecular biology, biochemistry, embryology, cell biology) and in many instances is also dependent on knowledge and methods from outside the sphere of biology (chemical engineering, bioprocess engineering, information technology, biorobotics). Conversely, modern biological sciences (including even concepts such as molecular ecology) are intimately entwined and dependent on the methods developed through biotechnology and what is commonly thought of as the life sciences industry. edit   Selected picture The M33 cluster bomb, also known as the (M33) Brucella cluster bomb, was a U.S. biological cluster bomb developed in the early 1950s and deployed in 1952. It was the first standardized biological weapon in the U.S. arsenal. edit   In this month 8 November 2002 - United Nations Security Council Resolution 1441 adopted, offering Iraq under Saddam Hussein "a final opportunity to comply with its disarmament obligations" 14 November 2007 - 60 Minutes revealed identity of Curveball, informant about Iraqi weapons of mass destruction program 18 November 1941 - First meeting of War Bureau of Consultants 25 November 1969 - U.S. President Richard M. Nixon issued his "Statement on Chemical and Biological Defense Policies and Programs" in a speech from Fort Detrick (pictured) in Frederick, Maryland More anniversaries... edit   Selected biological agent A prion is an infectious agent that is composed primarily of protein. To date, all such agents that have been discovered propagate by transmitting a mis-folded protein state; the protein itself does not self-replicate and the process is dependent on the presence of the polypeptide in the host organism. The mis-folded form of the prion protein has been implicated in a number of diseases in a variety of mammals, including bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE, also known as "mad cow disease") in cattle and Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease (CJD) in humans. All known prion diseases affect the structure of the brain or other neural tissue, and all are currently untreatable and are always fatal. In general usage, prion refers to the theoretical unit of infection. In scientific notation, PrPC refers to the endogenous form of prion protein (PrP), which is found in a multitude of tissues, while PrPSc refers to the misfolded form of PrP, that is responsible for the formation of amyloid plaques and neurodegeneration. Prions are hypothesized to infect and propagate by refolding abnormally into a structure which is able to convert normal molecules of the protein into the abnormally structured form. All known prions induce the formation of an amyloid fold, in which the protein polymerises into an aggregate consisting of tightly packed beta sheets. This altered structure is extremely stable and accumulates in infected tissue, causing tissue damage and cell death. This stability means that prions are resistant to denaturation by chemical and physical agents, making disposal and containment of these particles difficult. Proteins showing prion-type behavior are also found in some fungi, which has been useful in helping to understand mammalian prions. Fungal prions, however, do not appear to cause disease in their hosts and may even confer an evolutionary advantage through a form of protein-based inheritance. The word prion is a compound word derived from the initial and final letters of the words proteinaceous and infection. edit   Did you know... ... that the Kunjin virus, which can be transmitted by mosquitoes and may cause encephalitis (pictured) in humans, is named for an Indigenous Australian clan living near where the virus was first isolated? ...that James Jurin used statistical studies to show the probability of death from smallpox vaccine was significantly less than from smallpox? edit   Categories ▼ Biological warfare ► Biological warfare facilities ► Bioterrorism ► Chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear defense ► Biological weapons edit   WikiProjects Parent projects Biology Military history Related projects Crime Terrorism Task forces Military technology and engineering task force Weaponry task force What are WikiProjects? edit   Selected quote edit   Topics Biological warfare (Wikipedia book) Concepts Bacteria Biocontainment Biological hazard Bioterrorism Decontamination Entomological warfare Infectious disease Virus Toxin Terrorism Biological agents Anthrax Avian influenza Botulinum toxin Brucellosis Burkholderia pseudomallei Chlamydophila psittaci Coxiella burnetii Ebola Eastern equine encephalitis virus Western equine encephalitis virus Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus Foodborne illness Fungi Glanders Hantavirus Henipavirus Legionnaires' disease Marburg virus Mold Plague Ricin Salmonella enterica Salmonellosis Salmonella typhi Smallpox Staphylococcus Tularemia Typhus Viral hemorrhagic fever Modern bioterrorist incidents 1984 Rajneeshee bioterror attack 2001 anthrax attacks 2003 ricin letters Prevention and response Australia Group Center for Biosecurity Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Council of Europe Convention on the Prevention of Terrorism Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency Defense Threat Reduction Agency European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control Global Health Security Initiative Health Threat Unit Laboratory Response Network National Biodefense Analysis and Countermeasures Center National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases edit   Featured content Featured articles: Featured class articles, Biology, Featured class articles, Crime, Featured class articles, Military history, Featured class articles, Terrorism edit   Things you can do Join a related WikiProject: Biology, Crime, Military history, Terrorism Deletion discussions: listed at Crime, Military, Science, Terrorism Rate the Unassessed articles in WikiProjects: Biology, Crime, Military history, Terrorism Requested articles: Toxicological profile, Journal of Forensic Science, Forensic serology Stubs: Biology, Crime, Military history, Terrorism See also: Wikipedia:WikiProject Military history/Open tasks edit   Related portals Biology Biotechnology Criminal justice Medicine Molecular and Cellular Biology Weapons of mass destruction War edit   Associated Wikimedia What are portals? 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