Advanced technology offers many benefits to humans, but it also provides tools of mass destruction. For example, advanced biological technology can provide cures for diseases but also provides tools of biological terrorism. When warfare involves these microscopic and deadly biological agents, it takes on a new and frightening dimension. The fact that humans harness the power of bacteria to kill large numbers of people seems like science fiction. Unfortunately, we now hear about the use of these biological agents not only from novels, but also from newspapers. Biological weapons are scary, in part, because of the public's limited understanding of this type of warfare. The popular and misinformed opinion about biological warfare is that huge communities of people will be wiped out in one fell swoop by deadly infections. In this article I will answer fundamental questions about biological warfare to provide a better understanding of what biological warfare means and how we can defend against it. While biological warfare is scary, it will not necessarily lead to the destruction of life on Earth. These infections are often fatal if left untreated, but people can survive the disease if they seek proper medical care. Merriam-Webster defines biological warfare as “warfare involving the use of living organisms (such as disease-causing germs) or their toxic products as weapons.” (2) By this definition, all pathogenic organisms are potential biological weapons. Anthrax, smallpox, plague, botulinum toxin, and tularemia could be used. Bacteria used as biological weapons are those that are deadly, cheap, and capable of infecting many individuals through aerosols or canisters that push the bacteria into the air by… by paper…JAMA. vol. 281 n. 18. May 12, 1999. http://jama.ama-assn.org/issues/v281n18/ffull/jst80027.html (October 17, 2001).6. Inglesby, Thomas V., David T. Dennis, Donald A. Henderson, John G. Bartlett, Michael S. Ascher, Edward Eitzen, Anne D. Fine, Arthur M. Friedlander, Jerome Hauer, John F. Koerner, Marcelle Layton, Joseph McDade, Michael T. Osterholm, Tara O'Toole, Gerald Parker, Trish M. Perl, Philip K. Russell, Monica Schoch-Spana, Kevin Tonat, for the working group on civil biodefense. "The plague as a biological weapon". JAMA. vol. 283 n. 17. May 3, 2000. http://jama.ama-assn.org/issues/v283n17/ffull/jst90013.html(October 17, 2001).7. Madigan, Michael T., John M. Martinko, and Jack Parker. Brock Biology of Microorganisms, 9th edition. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 2000.8. Thomas, Evan and Eleanor Clift. “Who Killed Kathy Nguyen?” Newsweek November 12. 2001: 30-34.