Tag Archives: anthrax letters

Take 5: Top Books on Life Sciences

Got scientists and engineers on your holiday shopping list? Take five and check out our top gift ideas. NAP books and merchandise make thoughtful gifts for thinking people.

Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals

Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals: Eighth Edition

A respected resource for decades, the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals has been updated by a committee of experts, taking into consideration input from the scientific and laboratory animal communities and the public at large. The…
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Review of the Scientific Approaches Used During the FBI's Investigation of the 2001 Anthrax Letters

Review of the Scientific Approaches Used During the FBI’s Investigation of the 2001 Anthrax Letters

Less than a month after the September 11, 2001 attacks, letters containing spores of anthrax bacteria (Bacillus anthracis, or B. anthracis) were sent through the U.S. mail. Between October 4 and November 20, 2001, 22 individuals developed anthrax; 5 of the…
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Science, Evolution, and Creationism
Science, Evolution, and Creationism

How did life evolve on Earth? The answer to this question can help us understand our past and prepare for our future. Although evolution provides credible and reliable answers, polls show that many people turn away from science, seeking other explanations with…
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A New Biology for the 21st Century

A New Biology for the 21st Century

Now more than ever, biology has the potential to contribute practical solutions to many of the major challenges confronting the United States and the world. A New Biology for the 21st Century recommends that a “New Biology” approach–one that depends…
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Strengthening Forensic Science in the United States

Strengthening Forensic Science in the United States: A Path Forward

Scores of talented and dedicated people serve the forensic science community, performing vitally important work. However, they are often constrained by lack of adequate resources, sound policies, and national support. It is clear that change and advancements,…
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The Anthrax Threat Ten Years after the Letter Attacks

Ten years ago, five Americans were killed and 17 were sickened in the worst biological attack in U.S. history when letters containing the bacterium Bacillus anthracis (B. anthracis, or more simply, anthrax) were sent through the mail. From October 4 to November 20, 2001, an additional 31 people tested positive for exposure to B. anthracis spores and approximately 32,000 individuals initiated a preventive antibiotic regime.

The National Research Council and the Institute of Medicine recently examined the threat of anthrax. Review of the Scientific Approaches Used During the FBI’s Investigation of the 2001 Anthrax Letters focuses on the investigation of the 2001 attacks. This book evaluates the scientific foundation for the specific techniques used by the FBI to determine whether these techniques met appropriate standards for scientific reliability and for use in forensic validation, and whether the FBI reached appropriate scientific conclusions from its use of these techniques.

Prepositioning Antibiotics for Anthrax addresses proactive efforts to provide treatment in the event of an aerosol B. anthracis or other bacterial agent event. Rapid access to antibiotics is critical for preventing and treating illness and death due to this kind of bioterrorism attack. Yet the logistics of effectively delivering antibiotics to prevent anthrax infection pose a tremendous challenge because such an attack could potentially expose a large number of people who would require antibiotics within a relatively brief time window. For example, if aerosolized anthrax were released over a large, densely populated area, hundreds of thousands of people could need antibiotics to prevent deadly inhalational anthrax. This book evaluates new dispensing strategies to provide antibiotics to all exposed and potentially exposed individuals.

Both of these books are available to read or download online at no charge.

Review of the Scientific Approaches Used During the FBI's Investigation of the 2001 Anthrax Letters
Review of the Scientific Approaches Used During the FBI’s Investigation of the 2001 Anthrax Letters

Less than a month after the September 11, 2001 attacks, letters containing spores of anthrax bacteria (Bacillus anthracis, or B. anthracis) were sent through the U.S. mail. Between October 4 and November 20, 2001, 22 individuals developed anthrax; 5 of the…
Details

Prepositioning Antibiotics for Anthrax
Prepositioning Antibiotics for Anthrax

If terrorists released Bacillus anthracis over a large city, hundreds of thousands of people could be at risk of the deadly disease anthrax – caused by the B anthracis spores – unless they had rapid access to antibiotic medical countermeasures (MCM). Although…
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