After Corona, “mirror bacteria” threaten life – | RCO News Agency

According to RCO News Agency, citing Interesting Engineering, based on a report prepared by 38 international researchers, the possible risks of these hypothetical organisms are greater than their benefits. The researchers’ findings have led to a global speculation about the future of artificial biology and its ethical boundaries. Von Cooper, one of the researchers at the University of Pittsburgh, says: “The threat we are talking about is unprecedented.” Mirror bacteria probably evade the immune system reactions of humans, animals and plants and in each case lead to deadly infections that will spread unchecked.

Life on Earth is built on molecules with a particular advantage or structural asymmetry that dictates their biological interactions. For example, DNA and RNA consist of right-handed nucleotides, while proteins rely on left-handed amino acids. This hand of superiority is present in all known organisms of the world, from bacteria to humans.

The idea of ​​mirror life involves reversing this natural dominant hand and producing organisms with left-handed DNA and right-handed proteins. Such a mirror image of life forms is probably distinct from all natural organisms and cannot biologically interact with normal life forms.

This research has addressed the deep risks associated with mirror bacteria, including the possibility of avoiding the immune system and disrupting ecosystems. Mirror bacteria Unlike natural bacteria that are controlled and balanced by invaders, viruses and antibiotics, mirror bacteria operate outside of these systems.

Researchers have likened the threat of mirror bacteria to invasive species. They can reproduce rapidly and evolve and diversify in the absence of natural competitors to control them.

But despite these concerns, they recognize some advantages of mirror biology, which are likely to have many benefits. Mirror molecules such as proteins and DNA are resistant to destruction in the human body, and this leads to advances in medicine. They also cause industrial bioproduction processes to be less exposed to pollution and thus expand.