Russian Secret: Researchers Decode Mysterious Biological Weapon from the Soviet Era

A team of researchers led by the Northern Arizona University has finally identified a secret biological weapon during the Soviet Era. The said weapon caused the widespread anthrax outbreak in the city of Yekaterinburg in Russia back in 1979.

The study, published in the journal American Society for Microbiology, says the team has decoded the entire genome of the bioweapon, Bacillus anthracis, by analyzing preserved bacterial spores from the affected area. The said bioweapon, according to Ars Technica, was unleashed from a secret bioweapons facility.

There have been previous claims that the Soviets are using biological weapons for attack. However, there was no proof that the unleashed anthrax strain was genetically modified.

By using a sequencing technology, the team, led by geneticist Paul Keim, managed to "pull out a full genome's worth of DNA code." The said code, though having damaged from formaldehyde in some spots, reveals that it is very similar to the anthrax strain of the Soviets.

“This genomic identity can now be used for forensic tracking of this weapons material on a global scale and for future anthrax investigations,” the researchers wrote.

The bioweapon was released to the public through a broken air filter, causing 66 people to die. IFL Science notes that the incident violated the Biological Weapons Convention, causing the Russian officials to cover their tracks, making it look as if the deaths were from bad food purchased from the black market.

“All of this is highly suggestive of a weapons program that identified a suitable strain, maintained master cell stocks to avoid extensive passage, and per- formed minimal manipulations in order to maintain virulence. This strategy must have been used to produce large quantities of highly virulent material, as evidenced by the anthrax deaths in 1979," Keim said.

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