Bioweapons: The History, The Present and The Future

Bioweapons are living microbes and microbial toxins used as weapons. They have been used in war, terrorist attacks and political assassination attempts. They are more topical today than ever. This book gives a broad overview over biological weapons throughout history to present day. We learn about how Scythians used snakes to poison their arrows, how smallpox was used against Aboriginal Americans during the Seven Years' War, and Japan's gruesome warfare in China before and during World War II. The book also uncovers the bioweapons programmes of various countries, including America's and the Soviet Union's investment in bioweapons during the Cold war, South Africa's Doctor Death and Canada's Nobel Prize winner who developed bioweapons. The book also considers the controversial views that modern day viruses, such as HIV, Covid-19, or Monkeypox, could have been developed as a bioweapons. The book also describes the use of bioweapons by terrorist organizations and criminals. Today, the threat from bioweapons is increasing. Progress in biotechnological research and 'synthetic biology' currently makes it possible to produce much more terrifying microbes as weapons than those of the past. The book reveals how the development of artificial intelligence and drones also contribute significantly to this risk. Future use of more lethal bioweapons may cause extensive pandemics, ecological catastrophes and potential genocide. It is therefore of utmost importance to face the threat from bioweapons in an effective way, both nationally and internationally, and this book also covers how to respond to a bioweapon attack. A deafening silence about the threat from biological weapons prevails in the public sphere. Written in a friendly and accessible way, this book aims to break the silence. AUTHOR: Stig S Frøland is professor of internal medicine, infectious diseases and clinical immunology at the University of Oslo. From 1982-2010 he was senior consultant and head of Section of clinical immunology and infectious diseases, Department of medicine, at Rikshospitalet University Hospital, University of Oslo. He is author of a large number of scientific publications, and is a Member of The Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters. He has written two books on the AIDS pandemic (Norwegian) and the book Duel without End: Mankind's Battle with Microbes translated into English and five other languages. He is commander of The Royal Norwegian Order of Saint Olav. 30 b/w illustrations