Chinese national charged with smuggling dangerous pathogen (MNN)

A Chinese national CHARGED for allegedly smuggling a dangerous biological pathogen into the U-S will appear in federal court today. The 33-year-old woman was working on research into the fungus at a University of Michigan laboratory. Scientific literature classifies it as a potential agro-terrorism weapon that’s responsible for BILLION of dollars in economic losses worldwide each year. Its toxins cause vomiting, liver damage, and reproductive defects. The woman’s boyfriend works at a Chinese university where he conducts research on the same pathogen. He tried smuggling the pathogen through Detroit Metro Airport, but wasn’t let into the U-S.