Scientists Are Warning That Mirror Life Could Potentially Wipe Out All Life On Earth
A group of the world’s top scientists has warned researchers against using a type of technology that could potentially wipe out all life on Earth.
In a new paper, they described the risks of mirror life, which are synthetic organisms with DNA structures that are the exact opposite, or a mirror image, of the life forms we know.
The 38 co-authors of the report advised that research into mirror life should be halted immediately before it’s too late.
It would probably take a few more decades for mirror lifeforms to emerge, but the risks they pose are so serious that the scientists are trying to nip it in the bud now.
DNA and proteins, the building blocks of life, have a property known as chirality, which comes from the Greek word “handedness.”
Chirality means that they can come in two forms: right-handed or left-handed. DNA is considered to be a right-handed double helix of sugars. They only twist to the right, while proteins consist of left-handed amino acids.
Right-handed and left-handed are not interchangeable. Think of it like trying to fit your left hand into a glove designed for your right hand. But if you hold your left hand up to a mirror, its reflection looks just like your right hand.
In recent years, some researchers have been starting to create “mirror” versions of real molecules in the lab, such as left-handed sugars and right-handed proteins.
“The consequences could be globally disastrous,” said Jack Szostak, a co-author of the new report and a Nobel Prize-winning chemist at the University of Chicago.
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Those who support pursuing this research argue that mirror cells could have profound implications for the treatment of chronic disease.
“If you give therapeutics to a person, especially protein or nucleic acid therapeutics, digestive enzymes in the body break them down rapidly, sometimes within minutes,” said Michael Kay, a co-author of the paper and a biochemist from the University of Utah.
“This can make it very challenging to treat chronic illnesses in a way that’s cost-effective and convenient.”
Mirror proteins have been forged already and were discovered to be much more resilient than natural ones because the enzymes designed to degrade them can’t bind to them. As a result, mirror molecules can remain effective for a lot longer.
However, this could also make the cells dangerous. Researchers don’t know how mirror organisms might behave when interacting with natural cells. They could spread quickly, wreaking havoc on humans and our environment.
If an experimental mirror bacteria were accidentally released into the world by infecting lab workers, it could avoid detection by our immune system, easily infect others, and cause a deadly pandemic.
It’s not just humans who would be in danger. Other animals and plants would be affected as well. Overall, the co-authors argue that the risks of researching mirror cells greatly outweigh the benefits and should be stopped for the sake of humanity.
The paper was published in the journal Science.
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