A group of top biologists have warned about the dangers of creating “mirror life,” synthetic organisms with DNA structures that are a mirror image of natural ones. This technology, which is expected to be realized in a few decades, poses an existential risk to biology as we know it.
The scientists describe the risks as globally disastrous and argue that creating mirror bacteria or other mirror organisms should not be allowed, even with biocontainment measures in place. The authors believe that until compelling evidence emerges that mirror life will not pose extraordinary dangers, research on creating these organisms should be prohibited.
The risks are caused by the fact that natural cells have a specific handedness – DNA is right-handed and proteins are left-handed. Creating mirror organisms could lead to unpredictable interactions with natural cells, potentially allowing them to bypass detection, infect hosts, and spread deadly pandemics.
The biologists’ warning comes as researchers have already successfully created mirror proteins, which are more resilient than natural ones due to enzymes that cannot bind to them. However, this breakthrough is outweighed by the potential risks of creating life forms that could outcompete and annihilate native species.
Source: https://www.yahoo.com/news/scientists-horrified-mirror-life-could-133058667.html