Microorganisms like viruses, bacteria or fungi, or toxic substances produced by organisms could be released deliberately to cause disease and death in humans, animals or plants. These biological agents can pose a serious public health challenge and are capable of causing secondary transmission leading to epidemics. The 1975 Biological Weapons Convention was the first multilateral agreement to comprehensively ban an entire category of weapons of mass destruction. This treaty has been ratified by 195 states. However, the dual-use dilemma associated with bio-organism and toxins makes its true implementation doubtful. For instance, Botulinum toxin, usually used as 'Botox' for cosmetic treatments, is also one of the deadliest poisons in the world.
Rapid advances in biotechnology using AI, 3D printing and synthetic biology could enable development of novel biological threats to national security. Today, a drone could be used for carrying bio-weapons. While viruses spread by the drones may not impact very rapidly, various social media platforms may be used to spread rumour quickly, efficiently or aggressively. AI generated deepfakes are a particularly significant and growing tool for misinformation. This book, besides comprehensively exploring the history of biological weapons, also analyses emerging challenges relating to biological weapons. This book will be useful for professionals in life sciences, legal fraternity and others having responsibility for biological security.