It may soon be possible to create "mirror life"

(economist.com)

11 points | by amai 1 hour ago

2 comments

  • nemomarx 5 minutes ago
    what exactly would we usefully get from doing it?
    • adzm 0 minutes ago
      We already make use of "mirror" molecules; the idea is that mirror organisms could help efficiently create these for us (like how we can use yeast and fungi etc to create various chemicals).

      Of course there is also the whole potential apocalypse scenario

    • ceejayoz 3 minutes ago
      Stuff our immune system doesn't recognize is potentially useful for things like vaccine delivery. But it's also useful for a potential pathogen.
  • amai 1 hour ago
    • chasil 2 minutes ago
      The "Potential Risks" section of the wiki is a bit thin on the mechanisms of the danger.

      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mirror-image_life#Potential_ri...

      'In December 2024, 38 scientists, including several synthetic biology researchers and two Nobel laureates, warned that the creation of mirror-image life could cause "unprecedented and irreversible harm" to human health and ecosystems worldwide.[3][26] The reversed structure of mirror-image bacteria could allow them to evade many mechanisms critical for immunity and predation that have evolved to recognize natural-chirality structures.[27] As a result, mirror-image bacteria could potentially escape immune defenses and invade natural ecosystems, leading to "pervasive lethal infections in a substantial fraction of plant and animal species, including humans."'

    • ceejayoz 7 minutes ago
      TL;DR: Don't.