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What will Biological Warfare look like in the 21st Century

Emerging threats and ethical dilemmas in future biological conflicts

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From the perspective of a natural scientist, how will today's technology change biological warfare in the 21st century? Over the last two decades, breakthroughs in synthetic biology, biological engineering and biological AI have radically changed what is possible in terms of biological weapons research. But despite potentially gaining new capabilities, the deployment of biological weapons remains unlikely given their military disadvantages and the challenges involved in acquiring them.

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Fundamentally, there remain very few cases in which biological weapons retain a tactical edge over other weapon systems, such as chemical warfare agents.

Leif Sieben Leif Sieben is pursuing an M.Sc. in Interdisciplinary Sciences, combining Computer Science and Chemistry, at ETH Zurich (CH). His research focuses on applying computational tools to chemistry and biology with an interdisciplinary approach. Driven by a long-standing interest in the geopolitical and security implications of scientific discoveries, Leif Sieben believes that both science and politics benefit from open engagement with each other.

Cite this brief
Sieben, L. (2024). What will Biological Warfare look like in the 21st Century. EPIS Insight · Security Policy & Defence.
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