A major storyline in “Walking Apocalypse” involves a genetic process originally designed to cure all hereditary diseases being perverted into a biological super-weapon.
The danger of biological weapons cannot be understated. Those who resort to them usually have a limited objective in mind involving an immediate threat. The problem lies not just in that once you resort to bio-weapons, you invite retaliation, but that as such weapons become more advanced they become more unpredictable and less subject to control.
When genetics is added to the equation, the problem increases astronomically. The mapping of the human genome was touted as the single greatest advance in human medicine and as a boon to the health of all human beings. In reality, many people behind-the-scenes had far more dubious intentions.
When governments become involved, people should be wary. By definition, a government's first priority is to ensure survival by any and all means. Anything that can be used as a weapon will be considered. Genetics is potentially the most powerful weapon we will ever possess. The ability to kill on a level invisible to the naked eye is a great advantage, and advances being made can make such acts difficult to trace.
We are entering an era when a genetic weapon could potentially wipe out the human species. “Walking Apocalypse” is a cautionary tale of just such a threat.
Image copyright Armin Kübelbeck (http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Syringe_Glove_01.jpg)
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