Posthuman Blues

Scientists warn of 'ethnic weapons'

"In theory, experts could engineer organisms to attack genetic variations commonly found in, say, Chinese or German populations."

Or imagine a Muslim extremist concocting a virus that mostly kills people of Jewish ancestry. Or an Arab-killing virus "accidentally" set loose in the Mid-East and subsequently chalked up to a natural mutation. A genetic "heat-seeker" virus needn't be a weapon of mass destruction; if its designers are savvy enough, it could be incredibly selective, operating with the precision of an assassin.