Lawyers are in talks to resolve a case involving a 33-year-old Chinese scientist charged with conspiring to bring a toxic fungus into the country under the cover of her position at a University of Michigan lab.
Yunqing Jian is accused of helping her boyfriend, another Chinese scientist, bring the fungus into the U.S. Officials at Detroit Metro turned away 34-year-old Zunyong Liu in July 2024 and sent him back to China after they discovered red plant material in his backpack.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, the fungus, Fusarium graminearum, is a potential agroterrorism weapon. Officials said, the fungus “causes ‘head blight,’ a disease of wheat, barley, maize, and rice, and is responsible for billions of dollars in economic losses worldwide each year.”
In addition, the fungus can cause vomiting, liver damage, and reproductive defects in humans and livestock.
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Author: Faith Novak
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