News that Wiley has launched the 8th edition of the Wiley Registry of Mass Spectral Data was initially greeted with raised eyebrows, even if it is "the essential foundation resource for all mass spectrometry libraries". The Wiley Registry contains nearly 400,000 mass spectra with over 183,000 chemical structures sourced from laboratories throughout the world, and most spectra are accompanied by the structure and trivial name, molecular formula, molecular weight, nominal mass, and base peak.
But what made our eyebrows dance was the discovery that a new feature of this edition was data on chemical warfare precursors, amongst a whole lot of other new information for target readers, who include "scientists in forensics and homeland defense". So here's another information provider targeting the cash that floods through the US military establishment.
There's tons of money to be made, but as we were reminded by the recent ruckus in the UK over The Lancet's links to Elsevier's defence industry tradeshows, making money out of the weapons trade is not one that fits lightly with other more morally high-minded academic research. Sometimes the academics with consciences start kicking up a stink.
Isn't the issue here the fact that the Wiley was wily (sorry) enough to admit that it had readers in the military.
ReplyDeleteMaybe the chemicals concerned have other, non-military, uses. Scientists concocted them in all innocence, then their work was subverted to evil ends.
Or am I being a tad naive here?