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“A mirror bacteria” made in a lab could threaten all life on Earth, an international group of leading scientists has warned in a new report.
All the building blocks molecules of life as DNAproteins and carbohydrates have a unique structural property that continues confuses scientists.
They have what is called structural asymmetry, or chirality, which means they can have alternative, mirror versions similar to the left and right versions of the human hand.
DNA and RNA are made of “right-handed” molecules, while proteins are made of “left-handed” amino acids. This chirality or commitment of life’s molecules dictates their chemical reactivity and how life interacts with other matter.
“Mirror bacteria,” which are hypothetical synthetic life forms, can be built with reverse hands. The scientists noted that these mirror organisms would be fundamentally different from all known life and could pose a significant risk to ecosystems as well as human health if not carefully managed.
These synthetic bacteria, with their unique characteristics, could avoid natural predators like viruses and microbes that keep bacterial populations in check.
“The synthesized microbe in the mirror would be essentially invisible not only to animals and probably plants, but also to other microbes, including viruses that could attack and kill it,” said Vaughn Cooper, a microbiologist at the University of Pittsburgh in the US.
This could allow hypothetical life forms to spread easily between ecosystems, putting humans, animals and plants at constant risk of infection, scientists warned.
While the threat is currently speculative, the researchers said the possibilities deserve careful consideration to ensure scientific progress is consistent with public safety.
“These bacteria could potentially evade immune defenses, resist natural predators and disrupt ecosystems,” said Patrick Cai of the University of Manchester, a leading scientist in synthetic biology.
“This form of life never existed or developed. Consequently, all biological interactions would be different or probably not work,” said Dr. Cooper.
In a mirror bacterium, all building block molecules such as DNA and proteins are replaced by their mirror versions. They cannot naturally evolve from existing life, but they can be created artificially in a laboratory. But that still requires “significant breakthroughs in synthetic cell research,” the scientists said.
Although the ability to create such life forms could be decades away, the researchers called for a discussion involving policymakers, scientists, industry, civil society and the public to chart a safe way forward.
“While mirror bacteria are still a theoretical concept and something we probably won’t see for several decades, here we have an opportunity to consider and prevent risks before they occur,” said Dr. Cai.
“We cannot rule out a scenario in which the mirror bacterium acts as an invasive species in many ecosystems, causing pervasive lethal infections in a significant proportion of plant and animal species, including humans,” the scientists said in the report.
Scientists, including experts in immunology, plant pathology, ecologyevolutionary biology, biosafety and planetary sciences, said they hope to lead research on such bacteria, and prioritize “safety for humans, animals and the environment”.
They said some related technologies that did not “directly lead to mirror bacteria” — such as DNA and mirror proteins — have the potential to advance medicine, but early dialogue is key to addressing potential threats.
“We do not recommend restricting any of these areas of research. I hope this is the beginning of many discussions that will involve the wider community and interested parties soon,” said Dr. Cai.