The recent linkurl:suicide;http://www.the-scientist.com/blog/display/54907/ of microbiologist Bruce Ivins, pegged by the US government as the culprit in a spate of deadly anthrax mailings in 2001, is already spurring a boost in linkurl:security procedures;http://www.the-scientist.com/news/display/53626/ and screening at labs working on deadly pathogens. Boston University's biolab, a controversial high-security facility under construction in the city's South End neighborhood, plans to vet prospective researchers by investigating their psychological history, financial stability, and other factors. "We consider someone who is under financial duress to be a risk," Gary W. Nicksa, BU's vice president for operations, linkurl:told;http://www.boston.com/news/education/higher/articles/2008/10/14/bu_outlines_biolab_safety_steps?mode=PF the Boston Globe. "Do you want someone who could . . . have access to sensitive information or sensitive materials in a position that they could be approached by someone who says, 'Would you be willing to do something for me?'" A public hearing on the lab is scheduled for tonight (October 14) at 6:30 pm. Already, in...
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