[jacquesm]

> Again, the technology would be able to cure cancer.

That's your strawman. But I can - easily, at that - imagine a POC that would be specific enough to kill a single human with a very high degree of success given some meta data about them and a sample of their DNA. I'm for obvious reasons not going to expand on that here because we have too many idiots in this world but the fact that you can't imagine such things doesn't mean that others can not.

[anonymouskimmer]

It would be easier to just novichok the person.

[jacquesm]

Maybe. Not always. Heads of state tend to be very well protected against such attacks for instance.

[eesmith]

So what? Movie plot scenarios do not need to reflect reality.

I can easily imagine hopping on the next Pan Am rocket service to Luna City.

I can easily imagine using a space laser to kill that same human.

I can easily imagine taking a bridge from Key West to Cuba.

I can easily imagine taking a pill to regrow an amputated leg.

Just because you can easily imagine a POC doesn't mean it's doable in our lifetimes.

What are you going to target in the DNA? Is it a single short sequence or multiple markers across the genome? How does the bioweapon sequence that DNA to find it? How does that then trigger the appropriate biological response? How do you prevent mutations? What infectious organism will you use? How do you know the target isn't already immune to that infection?

Even if you expand on one or two of these in convincing detail (congrats on your future Nobel Prize, by the way), that's still not enough for the idiots in the world to make a usable weapon.

And so many easier ways to kill someone exist.