IF THE US falls victim to more anthrax attacks, a new technique could help prevent the backlog that delayed health labs’ response last time.
In the midst of the panic last year, an understandably paranoid public was sending every suspect white powder for testing. The US Department of Health lab in Miami was dealing with 100 samples a day at the peak of the crisis. “We were actually working 24 hours at one stage,” says Andrew Cannons of the Center for Biological Defense at the University of South Florida. “And performing molecular biology while wearing a suit and respirator is…
