Slashdot Mirror


Can Anthrax Be Controlled?

coolphysco1010 writes "Scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology in Berlin discovered why lung, but not skin, anthrax infections are lethal. Neutrophils, a form of white blood cells, play a key role in anthrax infections. This discovery might now pave the way towards the development of new therapies for the fatal lung form of anthrax."

1 of 112 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Great news! by gkhan1 · · Score: 5, Interesting
    When it comes to anthrax, it's really not about the death-count is it? Anthrax is the perfect scare weapon, remember back when people were getting the letters containing the stuff? As you say, almost no one died, but people were freaked out up the wazoo! Even here, in the cold north of Scandinavia, people started evacuating buildings every time someone got a letter with flour in it.

    And that's what terrorism is all about isn't it? Terrorism was never about killing as many as possible, that goal is futile for terrorist organizations. No, terrorism is all about Terror, and there are few better ways to freak people out if they think that the mail can kill them.

    If a letter containing just some dust can kill you, who of us is really safe?