Freelance Ed Sylvester teaches science and medical writing at Arizona State University's Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication. Co-author Lynn Klotz is a senior scientist with the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation, in Washington. They maintain that the billions of dollars spent since the 9/11 attacks on measures to defend the population against the threat of biological weapons hasn't made us any safer. According to the authors, the fundamental problem is the danger caused by the sheer size and secrecy of our biodefense effort.