Re: Bioweapons & the Soviet Lie

David Long (dxlong@aol.net)
Mon, 23 Mar 1998 20:12:24 -0500


One can order sequences via email or web form for as little as $.60/base.

Luckily for us, one can't order up Ebola or Marburg and have it delivered
FedEx next-day, as those processes are only suitable for 50-100 bases,
and the filoviridae are on the order of 20 kb. long.

Without the option of a $12K Marburg, it takes a mad scientist with
deeper pockets to pony up for a full gene synthesis, at $10-$20/base.

Hopefully at this point the several week lead time is enough for someone
to notice the genome and decide to decline the business...

-Dave

(disclaimer: although I can spell PCR and have seen the mail-order
oligo 1/4 page ads in Nature, this is really just blather.
Any corrections/explanations from biologists?)