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DNA Vials

As part of the promotion for the October 2004 release of the mass-market paperback edition of Slatewiper, I prepared small vials of dehydrated DNA for a variety of uses including some which were mailed to science writers.

The main reason for the mailing is for people to come face-to-face with the stuff of life. It's cause for thought that the awesome power to define who we are and how we differ from each other and every living thing comes in such a remarkably banal package.

I considered sending samples of my own DNA, extracted from epithelial cells and amplified with the Perkin Elmer GeneAmp PCR machine that is part of my garage DNA laboratory. I decided not to do this primarily because I was concerned that some people would take offense at the shipping of human DNA. I had a smaller concern dealing with my own genetic privacy, but that was not as large a worry.

Ultimately, the DNA I shipped was purchased from LabDepot which I also use for a lot of the supplies and equipment I donate to my son and daughter's school. This particular DNA from LabDepot comes from Herring sperm and it offers yet another advantage over self-extracted DNA: it has a beige color to it rather than the white powder I produce in my home DNA lab. Should something happen in the mail, it's far better to have some beige powder than white.

I've tried to package the DNA in a way to minimize spills or breakage. The vial is styrene plastic rather than glass and the stopper, while it looks like cotton, is a synthetic, re-usable plastic foam specifically made for laboratory equipment. When shipped, this package goes in a padded envelope with a "Fragile" sticker.

DNA is Harmless

But in case something does happen and the DNA spills out, it's harmless.

Indeed, the standard Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) for DNA shows that it is ranked somewhere between pure water (H₂O) and table salt (NaCl). See below for all the details.

MSDA Data:

Water: https://fscimage.fishersci.com/msds/59997.htm

DNA: https://fscimage.fishersci.com/msds/20595.htm

Table salt: https://fscimage.fishersci.com/msds/21105.htm

Are Terrorists Targeting the Ethnic Code in Your Genes?

It's a scary thought, but one that grows more likely every day.

Among many voices, the United Nations and the British Medical Association have issued warnings to indicate they believe ethnic weapons are a real threat, tailor-made for terrorists and rogue governments.

"The spectre of new biological weapons made possible by the mapping of the human genome makes it more urgent than ever to prevent biotechnology research from being hijacked for evil purposes." That and more can be found on the Web at: www.unesco.org/courier/1999_03/uk/ethique/txt1.htm.

The Red Cross has also issued a warning about ethnic weapons: (www.redcross.ca/article.asp?id=001727&tid=001).

And as recently as June 2004, MSNBC reported that the possibility had grown far more likely. (www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5182146/).

My book, Slatewiper, describes a genetically engineered bioweapon that could target ethnic groups. Slatewiper became the first ebook ever sold on the Web in 1995 when no one in traditional publishing circles found the concept believable.

Then times changed. Slatewiper is now in book stores and a reality that I thought I had imagined a decade ago comes eerily close to impending reality.

I've tried to highlight this danger through Slatewiper's main character, Lara Blackwood. She's a genetic-engineering entrepreneur who finds that her life's work of developing cures to ethnically linked diseases has been hijacked to create a bioweapon for sale to the highest bidder.

Ethnic Testing is Out of the Lab
and Into Popular Culture

Enter the Slatewiper drawing for YOUR ethnic DNA Analysis

Ethnic DNA testing is widely available today. For less than $400 people can determine their precise ethnic origins.

Obviously, as the ability to define DNA ethnicity becomes commonplace and moves into the mainstream of popular culture, it becomes easier to use the results for evil. You can bet the techniques needed to refine this knowledge into a weapon are already being secretly developed.

This is even more likely now that sophisticated gene production and manipulation equipment – sequencers, synthesizers, PCR amplifiers – are all available on eBay. There is a growing community of garage gene hackers who are the genetic equivalent of the homebrew computer clubs that sparked the personal computer revolution. For example: the first purchase for my own garage DNA lab was a Perkin Elmer PCR gene amplifier for which I paid $200.

Please click here to enter the drawing

for a free ethnic genetics profile from
Ancestry by DNA

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