'experiments Of Concern' To Be Vetted Online

摘要

What do you do if you have a great idea for an experiment, but are worried that the results could enable a potential biological weapon? Soon you will be able to ask a panel of experts for advice through a website being developed at the University of California, Berkeley. Spearheaded by Stephen Maurer of the Goldman School of Public Policy and the Boalt Law School, the website is part of a suite of measures he has developed with scientists and public-policy experts to minimize the risks of biology research being misused. The website, expected to begin operating by the end of March, will provide biologists with advice about 'dual-use research' or 'experiments of concern' - research with innocent goals that could inadvertently arm terrorists. Scientists will be able to enter information about proposed experiments, each of which will be reviewed by a different panel of three experts. The panels will include at least one security expert and one biologist. They will deliver a verdict on whether the work raises any security concerns, and if so, how those concerns might be addressed. The entire process should take about two weeks, says Maurer. Maurer has lined up experiments to beta-test the site and, if those go well, the site could open for business as early as April. The portal is supported by the Carnegie Corporation of New York, a philanthropic funding body. Experiments of concern have long troubled scientists and policy-makers, not least because most security reviews of such experiments occur at a very late stage - when the work is already finished and ready to publish.