Fire destroys years of genetic research...

January 14, 2002 9:49 AM

Fire destroys years of genetic research... am I paranoid to think that this may not have been a simple accident, given the nature of the data?
posted by BitterOldPunk (12 comments total)

I am certain the fire burned hotter, and with greater ferocity, given the nature of the data.

The building did not have a sprinkler system. Enough said.

BitterOldPunk, nice nic. I should probably be BitterOldFogey.
posted by fleener at 9:57 AM on January 14, 2002

ALF or similar groups usually smash crap and claim responsibility later. Never heard of a fire being used; won't someone think of the lab animals.

Of course if the target was the research, not the methods, then fire becomes a cheap means to destruction.

Hey look, 1, 2.
posted by rschram at 10:44 AM on January 14, 2002

Well, it wouldn't have made sense for an animal liberation group to burn the place, since the research done was on humans.


Also, it seems like it wasn't data that was lost, but rather genetic material that had been created in some sort of slow process.


If it was just data, then this guy deserves it. Not having good backups of important information is suicide.
posted by delmoi at 10:50 AM on January 14, 2002

Most likely, Yes.
posted by revbrian at 11:00 AM on January 14, 2002

ever wonder, if spy/action movies were real...how all the headlines and news articles would read the next day?
posted by th3ph17 at 11:26 AM on January 14, 2002

th3ph17 , you should rent the movie Real Men. It's based on tabloid headlines being true.
posted by fleener at 11:49 AM on January 14, 2002

BRITISH SUPERAGENT CHARGED IN
SIDEWALK-CAFE 'ORGY OF DESTRUCTION'
Restaurant Patrons 'Ran for Lives'
Fruit-Cart Owner Plans Lawsuit
posted by dhartung at 11:52 AM on January 14, 2002

ALF or similar groups usually smash crap and claim responsibility later. Never heard of a fire being used . . .

Actually there have been lots of fires lately and the targets have begun to include not just animal labs but places doing broader genetic research, including one of my favorite places, the UW's Center for Urban Horticulture which destroyed lots of research, some of it related to devious things like preserving endangered species.
posted by donovan at 12:24 PM on January 14, 2002

Donovan, you have stoked my paranoia. Neo-Luddites walk among us.
posted by BitterOldPunk at 12:58 PM on January 14, 2002

It's things like this that make me think, "Hm, my data isn't all that special, but isn't it worth enough for me to go to a tiny bit of effort and have some off-site backups?"

But that's when sit back a little farther in my chair and bitch about having to move my mouse to click on things.
posted by whatnotever at 1:16 PM on January 14, 2002

Whatnotever: I can't speak to the UCSC case, but in the UW ecoterror I mentioned above, the probelm was that the 'data' often wasn't digital, it was highly 'analog' . . . samples of plants, specimans, etc, stuff you can't really backup.
posted by donovan at 6:34 PM on January 14, 2002

the last few lines of the article bothered me. Molecular bio labs do not to have sprinklers because that worsens the damage of a fire. Unlike a commercial office building which would have normal paper(combustible solids)-fires, bio labs usually have chemical and grease fires, which spread more rapidly when water is added.
posted by alex3005 at 6:37 PM on January 14, 2002