The Demon in the Freezer by Richard Preston Take to you handfuls
of soot of the furnace, and let Moses throw it heavenward in the
sight of Pha- raoh; and it shall become fine dust over all the
land of Egypt, and shall be a boil breaking forth with blains
upon man and upon beast, throughout the land of Egypt. [Exodus
9:8-9] WHATEVER ONE’S views on the historicity of the biblical
plagues, it is remarkable how closely this passage resembles a
description of modern biological warfare. A handful of smallpox
virions, each about the size of a particle of soot, contains
enough pestilent material to infect millions of people. Released
at a high enough altitude, a cloud of such viral dust might
spread invisibly for 50 miles or more. Anyone who breathes in as
few as a half-dozen grains could become symptomatic in a
fortnight, breaking out with blisters and sores or with bleeding
skin. About the Author Kevin Shapiro is a research fellow in
neuroscience and a student at Harvard Medical School.