[Nogbad]

It seems that a scientist has found a way
to determine the specific lab
from which this sample of anthrax was taken.

Rubbish.
See today's Wall Street Journal
Dr. Paul Keim says the exact opposite.
Because anthrax mutates so slowly,
it almost is impossible
to pinpoint
with precision
the lab
in which the anthrax was produced.

[Hoboken]

Interesting, the same Dr. Paul Keim's( the scientist in my linked article) findings a week ago state that certain markers do differ between lab samples. I wonder if Keim is amending his findings based on some new data or is he backing off for another reason.

From the Promed-mail article of 2/13/02:

The main chromosome of the bacteria contains 5 167 515 DNA letters holding information for 5960 genes. The bacterium also contains 2 small rings of DNA known as plasmids, which carry the genes essential for its virulence. The plasmid's DNA was decoded several years ago by scientists at the Los Alamos Nuclear Laboratory. Dr. Keim's success came from studying a site on the second of these plasmids called [the] poly-A tract. He found that Ames stocks held in different laboratories varied in the number of A's one of the 4 units of DNA they contained in the poly-A tract. The number of A's varied from 8 to 25.

[aristeides]

I just looked through the first section of the WSJ for Tuesday, Feb. 20, and didn't find an article about anthrax. Could you please provide a page reference or something else that will enable me to find the article.