Nerve agents: from discovery to deterrence

Nerve agents: from discovery to deterrence

Nerve agents: from discovery to deterrence

Even with an international convention banning them, the threat of chemical weapons being used outside conventional warfare is ever-present. A history of nerve agents by defence and security expert Dan Kaszeta is weak on some of the complexities of recent politics, writes reviewer Leiv Sydnes, who chaired the international task group that assessed the impact of scientific advances on the Chemical Weapons Convention in 2007 and 2012. But it makes clear a sobering point: it is all too easy for those who seek to do harm to make nerve agents in small quantities.

Nature | 5 min read