Add this to the delights that can be expected to flow from the cornucopia of genetic engineering. From today's NY Times, "A History: When the State Uses People as Guinea Pigs," by Philip J. Hilts. Excerpt:
"Among the less familiar tales is that of the South African program called Operation Coast, which was unearthed by that nation's Truth and Reconciliation Commission hearings.
"Operation Coast consisted of a series of experiments in the 1980's in which biological and chemical weapons were tested, in one case on troops from Mozambique, for use against apartheid opponents.
"The commission also found evidence that among the secret medical experiments was an effort to develop infertility drugs that would affect blacks but not whites, Dr. [John] Moreno [director of the Center for Biomedical Ethics at the University of Virginia and the author of 'Undue Risk,' to be published this fall] wrote.
"Dr. Moreno says it was unclear whether such drugs were actually tried on humans, but the case raises the possibility of adding a fourth horseman to the atomic, biological and chemical weapons - 'genetic warfare.'
"'Several classes of weapons could result,' Dr. Moreno wrote, 'among them microbes genetically engineered to target certain human populations based on a virus's ability to "recognize" the DNA variations in specific subgroups.'
"He added that the possibility was credible partly because 'people from particular ethnic groups or certain geographic origins have long been noted to be associated with sensitivities to particular foods and drugs.' For example, he wrote, since ancient Greek times it has been known that people of African and Middle Eastern origin often get sick after eating fava beans.
"Dr. Moreno wrote that the Defense Department already had begun studies to design defenses against 'genetic' attack."
Carl