Bracing for Armageddon‪?‬

William Clark offers a vividly written primer for the general reader, shedding light on the science behind potential bioterrorist attacks and revealing what could happen, what is likely to happen, and what almost certainly will not happen. Clark reviews a host of bioterrorist threats (from agroterrorism to a poisoning of the water supply) and examines not only the worst-case menace of genetically engineered pathogens, but also the lethal agents on the CDC's official bioterrorism list. He shows that a successful bioterrorism attack is exceedingly unlikely and asks if the $40 billion the United States has dedicated to the defense against bioterrorism has really been well spent?