National Academies recommends defense strategies against biosynthetic weapons

While synthetic biology could be weaponized, similar technology could be used to mitigate those potential threats, concludes a report released Tuesday by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM).

In the report, NASEM identified the three most concerning potential biosynthetic weapons: recreating known pathogenic viruses; making existing bacteria more dangerous; and making harmful biochemicals via in situ synthesis. ...