Bioterrorism is the use of a biological weapon against civilian populations for the purpose of undermining morale and creating chaos. Biological weapons use microorganisms and toxins to produce disease and death in humans, livestock, and crops.

Biological, chemical, and nuclear weapons have the same goals of wreaking destruction, but unlike chemical and nuclear technologies, which are expensive to create, biological weapons are relatively inexpensive. They are easy to transport and resist detection by routine security systems. Chemical terrorism can result in illness minutes to hours at the scene of release. For example, the release of sarin gas by a religious sect in the Tokyo subway in 1995 killed 12 and hospitalized 5000 people. A biological weapon could kill thousands over a large area.

Genetic engineering is a double-edged sword. While its use may solve burgeoning health problems, its misuse could lead to development of anti-biotic resistant microorganisms or other harmful pathogens...