Words: Dark Biology

[abracanabra]

dark biology (DARK bye.awl.uh.gee) n.

Scientific research related to biological weapons.


Example Citation
---------------------------------
"Biological weapons are capable of taking the country past the point
of no-recovery," she [Tara O’Toole, a medical doctor and director of
the Johns Hopkins University Center for Civilian Biodefense Studies]
said. Although the anthrax outbreak was limited and the disease is
not contagious, it still overwhelmed laboratories and state and local
health departments.

The growing power of biological science has been largely overlooked
and little understood by government officials, O’Toole said. Unlike
nuclear physics, where it is relatively easy to gauge the intent of
research programs, "the only way you can tell the difference between
good biology and dark biology is in the application," she said. And
by then, it is potentially too late.
--Katherine McIntire Peters, "Nation highly exposed to future
terrorist attacks, experts warn," Government Executive Magazine,
January 22, 2002

See Also
---------------------------------
asymmetric warfare:
http://www.wordspy.com/words/asymmetricwarfare.asp

bioterrorist:
http://www.wordspy.com/words/bioterrorist.asp

i-biology:
http://www.wordspy.com/words/i-biology.asp

dark-side hacker:
http://www.wordspy.com/words/dark-sidehacker.asp

malodorant:
http://www.wordspy.com/words/malodorant.asp

Backgrounder
---------------------------------
The phrase "dark biology" was coined by the science writer and
novelist Richard Preston (see the earliest citation, below). If
you're interested in dark biology (and feel like scaring yourself
silly), you should read one or more volumes of Preston's
self-described "trilogy on dark biology": _The Hot Zone_ (1994), _The
Cobra Event_ (1997), and _The Demon In the Freezer_ (2002).

Earliest Citation
---------------------------------
One guy that I was talking to was -- he refers to biological weapons
as "product" and he says: "you know, the Russians have developed some
wickedly good product at Obalensk (ph). Man, they've got a black
death product that you wouldn't believe." He speaks admiringly of the
Iraqi product. And this is simply science. It's simply dark biology.
It's something that scientists can do and therefore they will do.
--Richard Preston, "Politics of Biological War," Talk of the Nation
(National Public Radio), November 24, 1997

Words About Words
---------------------------------
English grammar is so complex and confusing for the one very simple
reason that its rules and terminology are based on Latin -- a
language with which it has precious little in common. In Latin, to
take one example, it is not possible to split an infinitive. So in
English, the early authorities decided, it should not be possible to
split an infinitive either. But there is no reason why we shouldn't,
any more than we should forsake instant coffee and air travel because
they weren't available to the Romans.
--Bill Bryson, American writer, editor, and journalist, _The Mother
Tongue_, 1990

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