Life scientists and the need for a culture of responsibility: after education … what?

The challenge of dual-use biotechnology in the 21st century has led the scientific community to the conclusion that greater education of life scientists is needed regarding the biological weapons threat. While education is undoubtedly important, when looking at the analogous situation with the antinuclear movement during the Cold War it becomes apparent that scientific networks contributed much more than just education. This paper suggests contributions the life science community could make towards dealing with the biochemical weapons threat, taking into consideration the evolving geostrategic and technological climate. The paper concludes that after education there is a great deal more the life science community needs to do.