\u201cBiological War\u201d is a heavily researched book about contagious and potentially civilization-ending pathogens. Though banned by international treaty, these germs have been weaponized and hoarded by countries that include Russia, North Korea and Syria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
By \u201cweaponized\u201d I don\u2019t mean merely that they\u2019ve been placed at the business end of ballistic missiles. I mean that these pathogens have been genetically engineered, in diabolical ways, to trick first responders and be all but untreatable. Even a small accidental spill, like wine sloshing out of glass, like Covid slipping out of a lab, could be the last mistake our species makes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jacobsen has interviewed everyone, from former high-ranking members of the military, the C.I.A., FEMA and NATO to former secretaries of defense, counterterrorism experts, epidemiologists and Sam [expletive] Altman. That so many were willing to talk to her, and have their names affixed to this book, indicates the esteem in which she is held, especially after the publication of \u201cNuclear War: A Scenario<\/a>\u201d (2024), a best seller that stirred new interest in nuclear policy, technology and risks worldwide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The reason \u201cBiological War,\u201d like Jacobsen\u2019s previous book, is so consuming is that she packs a lot of dense and particulate information into a ticking-clock scenario: into a story. It\u2019s more pulverizing than a Kathryn Bigelow\u00a0movie<\/a>. Some of the chapter headings are phrases like \u201cDay Two\u201d or \u201cDay Three.\u201d Not to ruin your mood, but \u201cDay Six\u201d is about as far as civilization gets. A later chapter is titled \u201cThe Last Day of American Democracy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Read it all<\/a>.<\/p> New, likely terrifying look into reality of biological warfare, book by @AnnieJacobsen<\/a> just arrived. All her books are must-reads\u2026 Nuclear War, Area 51, Surprise Kill Vanish, Operation Paperclip, etc pic.twitter.com\/qLmZNPoEu4<\/a><\/p>— Luke Fischer (@lukefischer) July 28, 2026<\/a><\/blockquote>