New Mars Forums

Palomar

Member

From: USA

Registered: 2002-05-30

Posts: 9,734

Re: Pseudomonas Putida to the Rescue?

Russias]http://www.spacedaily.com/news/pollution-05c.html]Russia's chemical weapons stockpile

*Not overly familiar with this topic.  Mustard, huh?  What a horrible, vile weapon.  Would be nice if this is the closing of a chapter in human history permanently...

--Cindy

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We all know [i]those[/i] Venusians: Doing their hair in shock waves, smoking electrical coronas, wearing Van Allen belts and resting their tiny elbows on a Geiger counter...

--John Sladek (The New Apocrypha)

SpaceNut

Administrator

From: New Hampshire

Registered: 2004-07-22

Posts: 29,431

Re: Pseudomonas Putida to the Rescue?

Unfortunitely the third world nations will still be in the mode of chemical weapons developement even if all the technological developed nations do stop making them IMO.

ie Sadam supposed weapons of mass distruction ???

Cobra Commander

Member

From: The outskirts of Detroit.

Registered: 2002-04-09

Posts: 3,039

Re: Pseudomonas Putida to the Rescue?

For first-rate militaries (US, Britain, Western Europe, etc.) the day of chemical weapons has passed anyway. They won't be used against other first-rate powers because they all have protective gear rendering them next to useless and with modern weaponry they're just not necessary. If you want precision, we can do that. If you want widespread destruction, there are better ways than a cloud of toxins that odds are won't even kill that many of the enemy.

First rate powers also won't use them against second (China, Russia etc. Yes, I stand by that assessment, though both are borderline) or third-rate (most MidEast countries, all of Africa, etc) powers because they aren't necessary and the political damage just isn't worth it. Even if they get desperate enough, Europe being physically over-run by a Chinese horde for example, nuclear is just as likely a response and probably more effective.

It's when third-rate powers fight each other (Iran-Iraq War) that these weapons get used. They're far behind, First and Second World War-type tactics still apply in such situations.

Unfortunately, when these third-rate powers take on the top tier they know they can't win militarily even using chemical weapons, but CWA make good terrorist weapons. Civvies don't usually have gasmasks or chemical suits.

We now have a situation where the most unpredictable weapons are in the hands of the most irrational and unpredictable people. Technologies for cleanup of such weapons will likely be more important for Western cities than battlefields or even compliance with arms treaties.

Edited By Cobra Commander on 1110476781

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Build a man a fire and he's warm for a day. Set a man on fire and he's warm for the rest of his life.

Palomar

Member

From: USA

Registered: 2002-05-30

Posts: 9,734

Re: Pseudomonas Putida to the Rescue?

*Well, I just making the point that it's sad. 

So much of the universe as we currently know it seems extremely devoid of life...

...by contrast we've got an abundance here, and much of time and energy seems bent on destroying that life (deliberately, volitionally, intentionally).

::shakes head::  Just one of many weird contradictions I guess.

Cabin fever.  It's what's been making humans goofy all these years. 

--Cindy

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We all know [i]those[/i] Venusians: Doing their hair in shock waves, smoking electrical coronas, wearing Van Allen belts and resting their tiny elbows on a Geiger counter...

--John Sladek (The New Apocrypha)