What about manufactured glass? What about quartz? How did they know the graph didn't represent traces of manufactured glass absorbed from a Petri dish?
They ASSUMED the silicon and oxygen were in the form of silica because silica is used in "weaponizing" spores. But that was just an ASSUMPTION. They had no reason to think it might have been manufactured glass instead. They were looking for an ADDITIVE and they believed they found an additive. Sometimes people find what they are looking for, even if it isn't really there. Columbus thought he found Asia because that's what he was looking for. He died without ever realizing he'd never seen Asia.
Ed
How did they know the graph didn't represent traces of manufactured glass absorbed from a Petri dish?
Do you actually know the reason glass is used by chemists? It's because it doesn't react with anything (with the exception of hydrofuoric acid) - and doesn't leave traces on samples that it contains.
"What about quartz? How did they know the graph didn't represent traces of manufactured glass absorbed from a Petri dish?"
Well, they were missing just a "few" elements to conclude quartz, not that you'd know any better.
CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF QUARTZ
| Type | Al | As | B | Ca | Cd | Cr | Cu | Fe | K | Li | Mg | Mn | Na | Ni | P | Sb | Ti | Zr | *OH |
| 214 | 14 | <0.002 | <0.2 | 0.4 | <0.01 | <0.05 | <0.05 | 0.2 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 0.1 | <0.05 | 0.7 | <0.1 | <0.2 | <0.003 | 1.1 | 0.8 | <5 |
| 219 | 14 | <0.01 | <0.2 | 0.4 | <0.01 | <0.05 | <0.05 | 0.2 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 0.1 | <0.05 | 0.7 | <0.1 | <0.2 | <0.003 | 100 | 0.8 | <5 |
| 254 | 14 | <0.1 | <0.2 | 0.4 | <0.01 | <0.05 | <0.05 | 0.2 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 0.1 | <0.05 | 0.7 | <0.1 | <0.2 | <0.003 | 500 | 0.8 | <5 |
| 214A | 14 | <0.002 | <0.2 | 0.4 | <0.01 | <0.05 | <0.05 | 0.2 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 0.1 | <0.05 | 0.7 | <0.1 | <0.2 | <0.003 | 1.1 | 0.8 | <1 |
| 214 Rod, 214 LD | 14 | <0.002 | <0.2 | 0.4 | <0.01 | <0.05 | <0.05 | 0.2 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 0.1 | <0.05 | 0.7 | <0.1 | <0.2 | <0.003 | 1.1 | 0.8 | 10 |
| 224/224 Rod | 14 | <0.002 | <0.2 | 0.4 | <0.01 | <0.05 | <0.03 | 0.2 | <0.2 | <0.2 | 0.1 | <0.03 | <0.2. | <0.1 | <0.2 | <0.003 | 1.4 | 0.8 | 10 |
| 224 LD | 14 | <0.002 | <0.2 | 0.4 | <0.01 | <0.05 | <0.01 | 0.2 | <0.2 | 0.001 | 0.1 | <0.05 | <0.1 | <0.1 | <0.2 | 0.003 | 1.1 | 0.8 | 10 |
| 244/244 Rod | 8 | <0.002 | <0.1 | 0.6 | <0.01 | <0.05 | <0.05 | 0.2 | <0.2 | <0.2 | <0.1 | <0.03 | <0.2 | <0.1 | <0.2 | 0.003 | 1.4 | 0.3 | 10 |
| 244 LD | 8 | <0.002 | <0.1 | 0.6 | <0.01 | <0.05 | <0.05 | 0.2 | <0.2 | 0.001 | <0.1 | <0.03 | 0.1 | <0.1 | <0.2 | <0.003 | 1.4 | 0.3 | 10 |
| 124 | 14 | <0.002 | <0.2 | 0.4 | <0.01 | <0.05 | <0.05 | 0.2 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 0.1 | <0.05 | 0.7 | <0.1 | <0.2 | <0.003 | 1.1 | 0.8 | <5 |
| 144 | 8 | <0.002 | <0.1 | 0.6 | <0.01 | <0.05 | <0.05 | 0.2 | <0.2 | <0.2 | <0.1 | <0.03 | <0.2 | <0.1 | <0.2 | <0.003 | 1.4 | 0.3 | <5 |
| 982 WGY | 14 | ** | ** | 0.4 | <0.01 | <0.05 | <0.05 | 0.2 | 0.6 | 0.6 | <0.1 | <0.03 | <0.2 | <0.1 | <0.2 | <0.003 | 1.4 | 0.3 | <5 |
| 098 WGY | 0.2 | ** | ** | <0.005 | <0.01 | <0.05 | <0.05 | 0.07 | <0.05 | <0.05 | 0.1 | <0.05 | 0.7 | ** | ** | ** | 1.1 | 0.8 | 3 |
| 095 WGY | 9 | ** | ** | <0.005 | <0.01 | <0.05 | <0.05 | 0.07 | 0.1 | <0.05 | <0.05 | <0.02 | <0.05 | ** | ** | ** | <0.02 | <0.02 | 10 |
| 095 WGY | 9 | ** | ** | <0.005 | <0.01 | <0.05 | <0.05 | 0.07 | 0.1 | <0.05 | <0.05 | <0.02 | 0.1 | ** | ** | ** | <0.02 | <0.02 | <10 |
| 510, 520, 530, 512, 522, 532 | 14, 8 | <0.01, <0.01 | <0.2, <0.1 | 0.4, 0.6 | <0.01, <0.01 | <0.05, <0.05 | <0.05, <0.05 | 0.2, 0.2 | 0.6, 0.5 | 0.6, 0.5 | 0.1, <0.1 | <0.05, <0.05 | 0.7, 0.7 | <0.1, <0.1 | <0.2, <0.2 | <0.003, <0.003 | 1.1, 1.4 | 0.8, 0.2 | 50, 50 |
| 567, 577, 587, 568, 578, 588 | 14, 8 | <0.01, <0.01 | <0.2, <0.2 | 0.4, 0.6 | <0.01, <0.01 | <0.05, <0.05 | <0.05, <0.05 | 0.2, 0.5 | <0.03, <0.03 | <0.01, <0.01 | 0.1, <0.1 | <0.05, <0.05 | <0.02, <0.02 | <0.1, <0.1 | <0.2, <0.2 | <0.003, <0.003 | 1.1, 1.4 | 0.8, 0.2 | 70, 70 |
You are an idiot. You know nothing. They found silica. They reported silica. You don't even know what makes silica.
You are an idiot. Silica is an additive for weaponizing anthrax. Find silica in anthrax and you've found weaponization, not "contamination" that doesn't (can't) happen because pure fused silica glass doesn't leave traces of itself (that's why people go to the expense of using it for equipment in lab analysis).
A high purity grade of silica, fused silica (which is around 99.4-99.9% SiO2) is produced by carbon arc, plasma arc, gas fired continual extrusion or carbon electrode fusion.
My point is if a lab says it is Silica, bet your bibby on it.