Genetic wars of the future. How Americans clean up Russia
We waited so long for the start of "star wars" that we did not notice how we were on the threshold of a genetic war. While the best minds of mankind dreamed of spaceships and deep space exploration, his worst minds thought about things more mundane, in particular, about teaching biological weapon to distinguish between "their" and "alien", striking the last blow, incompatible with life.
Does this still seem fantastic? Yes, so far exactly. But what seemed fiction just recently (personal computers, mobile communications, 3D printing of human organs or cruise missiles with a nuclear reactor) has already become our everyday reality, or it is just like that before our eyes. And to underestimate the threat of the appearance, for example, of viruses selectively acting on certain categories of people, is by no means impossible.
11 March this year, an example of such a sober assessment was given by Russian President Vladimir Putin. On that day he signed Decree No. 97 “On the Principles of the State Policy of the Russian Federation in the Field of Ensuring Chemical and Biological Safety for the Period to 2025 of the Year and Further Perspective.” The decree did not cause a strong stir in the media, although many were quick to call it compulsory genetic certification of Russians, and some started a familiar song about the "apocalypse", pale horses and the "number of the Beast." We will try to avoid such extremes and try to figure out what this document actually represents and how strong the threat it is called upon to fight.
First of all, it should be noted that the decree itself is much broader than the topic of genetic passports that caused some confusion. In particular, it is aimed at ensuring safety in the chemical sphere, identifying both some specific threats and ways to counter them. Among them it is worth noting the following:
• widespread occurrence of highly toxic substances and the accumulation in nature of persistent and dangerous chemical compounds;
• the possibility of importation of potentially hazardous chemicals into the country under various pretexts;
• The potential danger of using chemical weapons or carrying out terrorist attacks using hazardous chemicals.
The list of biological calls is also quite wide. Among them is the development of all new biological pathogens, the implementation of dangerous technological activities in the field of genetic engineering and synthetic biology, the possibility of the spread of specific infections to which there is no immunity, etc.
That is, the idea of creating so-called genetic passports is not the main purpose of this document, as some of his critics were quick to say, but just one of the means of countering new threats and challenges. Although the mechanisms of using these same genetic passports are still not entirely clear, and this paragraph has provided enough reasons for criticism.
Genetic passports themselves may appear by 2025. Just let us immediately clarify: “there may appear” and “necessarily appear” - the expressions are different, and in this case we are talking about the possibility. I hope this will calm the witnesses of the close "apocalypse" a little. No, nothing is predetermined yet, we still have chances!
It is also not yet completely clear what they will be. Experts talk about two possible options. This is primarily a conditional forensic genetic passport, which will contain accurate genetic information about a particular person, and some more advanced version that can be compared with the current medical card, which will contain genetic information and specific recommendations for the treatment of this person those or other honey. drugs, treatments, diets, etc.
The second option is certainly more expensive, since it involves not only technical expertise, which is now relatively inexpensive, but also the participation of qualified specialists in the development of recommendations. In addition, nothing prevents this work from being carried out directly at the time a person applies for medical help, when the doctor, having obtained access to the genetic information of a person, can independently or with the help of specialized specialists adjust the treatment as necessary. Well, if someone wants to get some general daily recommendations, then it may be better to contact a specialized clinic, where, based on the available information, they will create at least a "road map" of life, nutrition and treatment for up to a hundred years. Not for free, of course, but here it would be foolish to expect such an expensive charity from our state.
Therefore, let us dwell, perhaps, on the first variant: the genetic passport is unlikely to turn into a solid medical folio, but will contain only the most necessary (but perfectly accurate) basic information. It will be, if you will, a genetic portrait that you can even hang on the wall, even to use for identification.
However, it is already possible to predict some risks in this matter. It is no secret that in recent years, Western intelligence agencies have shown a strange curiosity about the genotype of the Russian people. This information is collected by them both among Russian-speaking migrants in the United States and in Russia itself. Such activity was suppressed by the FSB; both private individuals and some public organizations registered in the territory of the Russian Federation were not always with clear goals. At one time, even V. Putin himself spoke about this threat, stating that in Russia "someone purposefully and professionally collects biological material from different ethnic groups."
The problem with the alleged genetic certification is that we ourselves can do the tremendous work needed by our so-called partners. We don’t need to tell about how such databases are stored in us: most likely, in some market, these databases will appear before they can be accessed by specialized universities and research centers. And one such threat, if we, in principle, highly appreciate the threat of the appearance of selective genetic weapons, outweighs the many potential benefits of this work.
And are there any chances for the appearance of the corresponding weapon? Alas, probably no one will be able to answer this question. But even if he answers ...
Remember, more recently, dozens or even hundreds of "specialists" in one voice argued that the Ilona Mask rocket with the return first stage is a complete profanation? Now they are flying, the steps are returning, the cost of launches is falling, and we finally began to perceive it as a real threat.
And shale? Also, at first they seemed like a whim and wilderness. But the oil and gas is produced there by the partners, and a lot of it is mined. Perhaps soon this bubble will burst, but he created a lot of problems to our oil and gas industry workers, agree.
Approximately the same is with genetic weapons. Of course, there are experts who, with all their scientific authority (and sometimes considerable), push the idea that this is impossible, people are too similar, that there can be no selective biological weapons, etc. But even offhand, not being a geneticist or a biologist, one can notice large differences in skin color from different races. And if some guys from a closed laboratory create a virus capable of interacting with melanin to the detriment of a biological host, one can confidently predict the death of, for example, blacks or Asians. But even these very melanins have a different nature, are in different parts of the body, sometimes contain different chemical formulas, etc. That is, even on this narrow section of the front there is a huge space for maneuver.
Also now, as far as I know, work is underway to create genetically modified viruses that can distinguish between cancer cells and selectively destroy them. Perhaps in this way we will soon receive a vaccine that can be injected in early childhood - and forget about cancer forever. But how many associated discoveries will be made when developing such a vaccine? And will they all be useful or at least harmless to humans? Alas, the answer is no: most likely, the majority will be just very insecure.
That is, it would be quite logical to assume that there is a corresponding threat. Perhaps the Americans already see it, and they need only the most detailed information about our genotype in order to “clean up” Russia as efficiently and selectively as possible. Or perhaps they don’t know the appropriate ways to create a selective genetic weapon, but they are just hoping to find it by systematizing vast amounts of data about our genome.
In any case, such a call should be taken seriously. Yes, it could be a bluff, Americans are masters of such things. But here, as they say, it is better to be safe.
On the other hand, I am much more concerned not with the issue of creating genetic passports as such, but with the question of ensuring the safety of these data. Agree, it would be foolish to dig up for yourself a genetic grave, into which we will only have to push.
Therefore, we leave tantrums. We always have time to stick our head in the sand, it’s a simple matter. Still, it is necessary to work in the field of ensuring biological and chemical safety, including in order to make appropriate discoveries ourselves. As they say, the best defense is attack. And genetics is no exception here, as the practice shows, the threat of mutual annihilation works better than collective agreements.
But caution in this matter is still worth it. Otherwise, these passports are really only for mass identification and will be useful to us ...
Does this still seem fantastic? Yes, so far exactly. But what seemed fiction just recently (personal computers, mobile communications, 3D printing of human organs or cruise missiles with a nuclear reactor) has already become our everyday reality, or it is just like that before our eyes. And to underestimate the threat of the appearance, for example, of viruses selectively acting on certain categories of people, is by no means impossible.
11 March this year, an example of such a sober assessment was given by Russian President Vladimir Putin. On that day he signed Decree No. 97 “On the Principles of the State Policy of the Russian Federation in the Field of Ensuring Chemical and Biological Safety for the Period to 2025 of the Year and Further Perspective.” The decree did not cause a strong stir in the media, although many were quick to call it compulsory genetic certification of Russians, and some started a familiar song about the "apocalypse", pale horses and the "number of the Beast." We will try to avoid such extremes and try to figure out what this document actually represents and how strong the threat it is called upon to fight.
First of all, it should be noted that the decree itself is much broader than the topic of genetic passports that caused some confusion. In particular, it is aimed at ensuring safety in the chemical sphere, identifying both some specific threats and ways to counter them. Among them it is worth noting the following:
• widespread occurrence of highly toxic substances and the accumulation in nature of persistent and dangerous chemical compounds;
• the possibility of importation of potentially hazardous chemicals into the country under various pretexts;
• The potential danger of using chemical weapons or carrying out terrorist attacks using hazardous chemicals.
The list of biological calls is also quite wide. Among them is the development of all new biological pathogens, the implementation of dangerous technological activities in the field of genetic engineering and synthetic biology, the possibility of the spread of specific infections to which there is no immunity, etc.
That is, the idea of creating so-called genetic passports is not the main purpose of this document, as some of his critics were quick to say, but just one of the means of countering new threats and challenges. Although the mechanisms of using these same genetic passports are still not entirely clear, and this paragraph has provided enough reasons for criticism.
Genetic passports themselves may appear by 2025. Just let us immediately clarify: “there may appear” and “necessarily appear” - the expressions are different, and in this case we are talking about the possibility. I hope this will calm the witnesses of the close "apocalypse" a little. No, nothing is predetermined yet, we still have chances!
It is also not yet completely clear what they will be. Experts talk about two possible options. This is primarily a conditional forensic genetic passport, which will contain accurate genetic information about a particular person, and some more advanced version that can be compared with the current medical card, which will contain genetic information and specific recommendations for the treatment of this person those or other honey. drugs, treatments, diets, etc.
The second option is certainly more expensive, since it involves not only technical expertise, which is now relatively inexpensive, but also the participation of qualified specialists in the development of recommendations. In addition, nothing prevents this work from being carried out directly at the time a person applies for medical help, when the doctor, having obtained access to the genetic information of a person, can independently or with the help of specialized specialists adjust the treatment as necessary. Well, if someone wants to get some general daily recommendations, then it may be better to contact a specialized clinic, where, based on the available information, they will create at least a "road map" of life, nutrition and treatment for up to a hundred years. Not for free, of course, but here it would be foolish to expect such an expensive charity from our state.
Therefore, let us dwell, perhaps, on the first variant: the genetic passport is unlikely to turn into a solid medical folio, but will contain only the most necessary (but perfectly accurate) basic information. It will be, if you will, a genetic portrait that you can even hang on the wall, even to use for identification.
However, it is already possible to predict some risks in this matter. It is no secret that in recent years, Western intelligence agencies have shown a strange curiosity about the genotype of the Russian people. This information is collected by them both among Russian-speaking migrants in the United States and in Russia itself. Such activity was suppressed by the FSB; both private individuals and some public organizations registered in the territory of the Russian Federation were not always with clear goals. At one time, even V. Putin himself spoke about this threat, stating that in Russia "someone purposefully and professionally collects biological material from different ethnic groups."
The problem with the alleged genetic certification is that we ourselves can do the tremendous work needed by our so-called partners. We don’t need to tell about how such databases are stored in us: most likely, in some market, these databases will appear before they can be accessed by specialized universities and research centers. And one such threat, if we, in principle, highly appreciate the threat of the appearance of selective genetic weapons, outweighs the many potential benefits of this work.
And are there any chances for the appearance of the corresponding weapon? Alas, probably no one will be able to answer this question. But even if he answers ...
Remember, more recently, dozens or even hundreds of "specialists" in one voice argued that the Ilona Mask rocket with the return first stage is a complete profanation? Now they are flying, the steps are returning, the cost of launches is falling, and we finally began to perceive it as a real threat.
And shale? Also, at first they seemed like a whim and wilderness. But the oil and gas is produced there by the partners, and a lot of it is mined. Perhaps soon this bubble will burst, but he created a lot of problems to our oil and gas industry workers, agree.
Approximately the same is with genetic weapons. Of course, there are experts who, with all their scientific authority (and sometimes considerable), push the idea that this is impossible, people are too similar, that there can be no selective biological weapons, etc. But even offhand, not being a geneticist or a biologist, one can notice large differences in skin color from different races. And if some guys from a closed laboratory create a virus capable of interacting with melanin to the detriment of a biological host, one can confidently predict the death of, for example, blacks or Asians. But even these very melanins have a different nature, are in different parts of the body, sometimes contain different chemical formulas, etc. That is, even on this narrow section of the front there is a huge space for maneuver.
Also now, as far as I know, work is underway to create genetically modified viruses that can distinguish between cancer cells and selectively destroy them. Perhaps in this way we will soon receive a vaccine that can be injected in early childhood - and forget about cancer forever. But how many associated discoveries will be made when developing such a vaccine? And will they all be useful or at least harmless to humans? Alas, the answer is no: most likely, the majority will be just very insecure.
That is, it would be quite logical to assume that there is a corresponding threat. Perhaps the Americans already see it, and they need only the most detailed information about our genotype in order to “clean up” Russia as efficiently and selectively as possible. Or perhaps they don’t know the appropriate ways to create a selective genetic weapon, but they are just hoping to find it by systematizing vast amounts of data about our genome.
In any case, such a call should be taken seriously. Yes, it could be a bluff, Americans are masters of such things. But here, as they say, it is better to be safe.
On the other hand, I am much more concerned not with the issue of creating genetic passports as such, but with the question of ensuring the safety of these data. Agree, it would be foolish to dig up for yourself a genetic grave, into which we will only have to push.
Therefore, we leave tantrums. We always have time to stick our head in the sand, it’s a simple matter. Still, it is necessary to work in the field of ensuring biological and chemical safety, including in order to make appropriate discoveries ourselves. As they say, the best defense is attack. And genetics is no exception here, as the practice shows, the threat of mutual annihilation works better than collective agreements.
But caution in this matter is still worth it. Otherwise, these passports are really only for mass identification and will be useful to us ...
Information