Country Mouse faithfully describes the science behind the design, generation, and implementation of synthetic viruses, from old-school DNA synthesis and gene sub-cloning techniques to the newest CRISPR and mRNA vaccine technologies.

These technologies are readily available to anyone working near an academic bioresearch center, whether in the US or around the world. These technologies do not require great intellectual prowess to master, but simply necessitate the ability to follow a recipe, a capacity shared by most people.

As you read through Country Mouse, you may get the impression that a lone technician bent on destruction and working in a university laboratory with underwhelming security protocols could produce a deadly virus. You would be correct. As each year passes and the technology described in Country Mouse improves, the easier it will become for a technician, even a nonscientist, to produce a deadly virus from scratch.