Warning of scientists for the escape of mirror bacteria from the laboratory

A group of prominent scientists have warned of the unprecedented danger posed by artificial life that could threaten humanity. Known as “mirror life,” these creatures are artificial organisms made from mirror versions of molecules found in nature.

According to Tekna technology news media service, experts believe that these organisms can act invisibly to life on earth and pass the immune defenses of all known organisms. If these mirror bacteria escape from the laboratories, there will be no obstacle for them to establish themselves in nature and threaten plants, animals and humans with fatal infections.

The creation of mirror bacteria is still at least a decade away, but according to a 300-page technical review, researchers say rapid progress is being made. In this paper, 38 Nobel laureates and other experts, including those who have previously tried to create mirror life, called for a halt to all new research in this area.

Dr. Von Cooper, a microbiologist at the University of Pittsburgh and one of the authors of the paper, says: “This form of life never existed and never evolved. Because of this, all of its biological interactions will be different and probably won’t work. “We don’t want to limit advances in synthetic biology, but making a mirror bacterium is not worth the risk.”

Biomolecules in life on Earth are of a certain shape, and since mirror molecules also exist in the biological world, it may be entirely possible to create organisms with this structure. But this will entail great risks. “The danger with mirror life, especially mirror bacteria, is that the organisms do not recognize their mirror counterparts as alien, and so natural defenses cannot,” said Professor Gregory Winter, a Nobel laureate in biology from the University of Cambridge and another author of the paper. prevent their attacks.”

This means that there will be no obstacle for the mirror bacteria to escape into nature and reproduce unchecked. Hence, there is a possibility of causing widespread fatal infections in plants, animals and even humans. The impact can be devastating, especially if plants and crops are vulnerable to these bacteria. This threat can seriously destabilize global ecosystems.

Although it is still a long time before the creation of mirror life, the researchers believe that there should be a public conversation about the dangers of this type of life. This technology still has many technical hurdles, but significant progress has been made in this field. The researchers are still calling for further investigation of their research, and conclude that if there is no convincing evidence that this type of life is not dangerous, the creation of mirror bacteria should be avoided.