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Monday, 10 February 2020

The Telegraph warns of biological weapons that target ethnic groups

An article from the Telegraph has been making the rounds, from behind a paywall.

Bioweapons targeting Chinese, anyone?


World Must Prepare For 

Biological Weapons That 

Target Ethnic Groups Based 

University


8 December, 2019

In the future, we may have to deal with biological weapons that target specific groups of people, passing over everyone else. World Must Prepare For Biological Weapons That Target Ethnic Groups Based On Genetics, Says Cambridge University

A biological weapon, also called germ weapon, any of a number of disease-producing agents—such as bacteria, viruses, rickettsiae, fungi, toxins, or other biological agents—that may be utilized as weapons against humans, animals, or plants.
World Must Prepare For Biological Weapons That Target Ethnic Groups Based On Genetics, Says Cambridge University
This type of warfare is distinct from nuclear warfare and chemical warfare, which together with biological warfare make up NBC.

Biological weapons may be employed in various ways to gain a strategic or tactical advantage over the enemy, either by threats or by actual deployments.

According to a new report out of Cambridge University’s Centre for the Study of Existential Risk reviewed by The Telegraph.

In it, the Cambridge researchers argue that world governments have failed to prepare for futuristic weapons based on advanced technology like artificial intelligence and genetic manipulation — or even a killer pathogen designed to kill only people of a particular race.

The report specifically called for the creation of independent groups to assess the risks of various future technologies and sort out whatever protocols are already in place to protect people from them, per The Telegraph.

“The technology is becoming increasingly sophisticated at ever-cheaper prices, democratizing the ability to harm more quickly and lethally,” write the authors of the report.

“In a particularly bad case, a bio-weapon could be built to target a specific ethnic group based on its genomic profile.”

In recent years advances in science such as genetic engineering, and artificial intelligence (AI) and autonomous vehicles have opened the door to a host of new threats.

Ultimately, the researchers conclude, we can’t afford to wait for those weapons to become reality before doing something about them.

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