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About This Webisode
BIOTHREATS:
Patrolling for Enemy Bugs to Keep Americans Safe
Anthrax, E. coli, salmonella -- all dangerous organisms that can cause illness. Many are contracted naturally -- through food or soil -- but in the wrong hands, such pathogens could be used to harm people.
Biologists at the Air Force research lab in San Antonio are on the lookout for these biothreats. Using a powerful process called PCR -- polymerase chain reaction -- they can copy strands of DNA and identify pathogens anywhere in the world. A process that used to take 48 hours has been reduced to just two. And, with a device called the JBAIDS -- a portable lab-in-a-suitcase -- technicians can use PCR to test samples out in the field as well. Finding a problem swiftly could be key to saving thousands of lives, and that's why these scientists keep perfecting these tools.
