Policemen outside the Monterrey Institute of Technology after a letter bomb exploded there in August 2011. (A. FRANCO/AP/PRESS ASSOCIATION IMAGES)
As if drug-war wracked Mexico didn’t already have enough problems: Nature reports that its nanotechnology research laboratories have been hit with a wave of letter bombs that have injured several people. “An eco-anarchist group calling itself Individuals Tending Towards Savagery” has claimed responsibility for most of the attacks, writes Leigh Philips. Personally, I suspect this ‘group’ is a lone nutcase; the tactic, the obscure and narrow range of targets, and the loquacious anti-technology screeds that accompany the bombings all echo the modus operandi of Ted Kaczynski, aka the Unabomber (who, quite hilariously, recently updated his status in the Harvard alumni magazine.)
Anyway, this is all terrible news for Mexico’s nascent nanotech industry. Seems the beleaguered nation has been making a concerted push to get into this field as a way to help them get a firmer footing in the world’s increasingly high tech-oriented economy. So tell me, righteous eco-radicals – would you rather see Mexico stay dependent on oil?
