Policy Forum: Considering risks of “mirror life” before it is created

Summary author: Meagan Phelan

2024-12-12

(Press-News.org) In a Policy Forum, scientists discuss lifeforms composed of mirror-image biological molecules – also known as “mirror life” – and say creation of such lifeforms, which could evade immune mechanisms and predators, warrants careful consideration. The hallmark of mirror organisms is reversed chirality – a feature that would render them resistant to normal forms of biological degradation, making them useful for applications like long-lasting therapies. While these organisms haven’t yet been observed in nature, and the capability to create them is likely at least a decade away, requiring large investments and major technical advances, now is the moment, say the authors, to consider and preempt risks. The authors – an interdisciplinary researcher group, including researchers who have held the creation of mirror life as a long-term aspirational goal – call for broader discussion amongst the global research community, policymakers, research funders, industry, civil society, and the public, to chart an appropriate path forward. The detailed analysis on mirror life they present is perhaps the most comprehensive assessment to date. It qualitatively assesses the feasibility and risks of creating mirror bacteria, considering factors including the nature, magnitude, and likelihood of potential harms, the ease of accidental or deliberate misuse, and the effectiveness of potential countermeasures. The authors focus on mirror bacteria in this analysis but note that many of the considerations might also apply to other forms of mirror life. Among concerns, the authors say their analysis suggests that mirror bacteria would likely evade many immune mechanisms, potentially causing lethal infection in humans, animals, and plants. Such bacteria are likely to evade predation from phages and many other predators, facilitating spread in the environment. The authors explain that though they were initially skeptical that mirror bacteria could pose such major risks, they have since become deeply concerned. They call for additional scrutiny of their findings and further research to improve understanding of these risks. However, they note, in the absence of compelling evidence for reassurance, their view is that mirror bacteria and other mirror organisms should not be created. They believe that this can be ensured with minimal impact on beneficial research.

The findings of these researchers – summarized in the Policy Forum – are available in more detailed form in a separate, in-depth technical report that can be accessed at a link in the related press release.

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