'Unprecedented risk' to life on Earth: Scientists call for halt on 'mirror life' microbe research (The Guardian 12/12/24

[highplainsdem]

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2024/dec/12/unprecedented-risk-to-life-on-earth-scientists-call-for-halt-on-mirror-life-microbe-research

World-leading scientists have called for a halt on research to create “mirror life” microbes amid concerns that the synthetic organisms would present an “unprecedented risk” to life on Earth.

The international group of Nobel laureates and other experts warn that mirror bacteria, constructed from mirror images of molecules found in nature, could become established in the environment and slip past the immune defences of natural organisms, putting humans, animals and plants at risk of lethal infections.

Although a viable mirror microbe would probably take at least a decade to build, a new risk assessment raised such serious concerns about the organisms that the 38-strong group urged scientists to stop work towards the goal and asked funders to make clear they will no longer support the research.

“The threat we’re talking about is unprecedented,” said Prof Vaughn Cooper, an evolutionary biologist at the University of Pittsburgh. “Mirror bacteria would likely evade many human, animal and plant immune system responses and in each case would cause lethal infections that would spread without check.”

-snip-

[Renew Deal]

1. The Jackpot

[Irish_Dem]

3. If we think nuclear threats are scary.

China and Russia are scrambling to buy this stuff.

[angrychair]

6. Maybe but hopefully not

The flaw I see in that scenario is that it's just as deadly to them as it is everyone else.

Really don't have to worry about nation-states as much as individual bio hackers or rogue scientist, who get their thrills doing stuff like this just to see if they can.
That's the kind of shit that keeps me up at night.

[Irish_Dem]

26. The same with nukes, but Putin keeps threatening to use them.

These threats were enough to make Biden cautious.

Bullies like to use these kind of threats to make people back down.

And some bullies like Trump are crazy enough to think it is a good idea.
He thinks he would somehow magically be protected.

And like Hitler these bullies don't care how many people they kill.

[JoseBalow]

7. The Jimmy Stewart movie?

[Renew Deal]

8. The Peripheral

[JoseBalow]

10. Sorry, I'm not familiar with that

[JanMichael]

14. A great science fiction show. Based on books about the Jackpot.

I need to find the books because the Perifeal miniseries was fantastic.

[JanMichael]

15. Yep. COVID will be seen as child's play.

Things like this can become cataclysmic. Earth shattering.

[montanacowboy]

4. JHC

everyday it's something else. One way or another this planet is doomed and I don't think we can stop it. Some Humans can't seem to wait to kill all of us.

[VGNonly]

5. Chirality

Earth: It's been good to know you.

[qazplm135]

9. Seems to me someone is going to make this

Better to research and learn about it now than caught unawares when it's released

[mackdaddy]

11. Aren't the Prions that cause Mad Cow Brain disease just an mirror or inverted protein?

Seems like one of those if it slips out accidentally we could wipe ourselves out.

I also saw an article where they were using AI to make an artificially evolved protein that could also be dangerous.

You don't need intentional malice when we do a great job with plain old incompetence.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

17. Prions interfere with the folding of proteins. I don't think any mirroring, chirality, or inversion is involved. . . .nt

[JoseBalow]

12. Reminds me of those tiny Black Holes they're working on at CERN

What could possibly go wrong?

Does CERN create black holes?

[KS Toronado]

13. Reminds me of Sarah Connor warning us about the Skynet

Nobody wanted to listen then either.

[keep_left]

22. The Golem. It's an ancient and archetypal...

...story about a creation which cannot be controlled. The story originated in Jewish mythology, but it has taken many forms since then, from Frankenstein's monster to Skynet. Ultimately, it's a story about technology and the human condition.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golem

[Celerity]

23. Assessing the Risk of Takeover Catastrophe from Large Language Models

https://www.democraticunderground.com/1016391903

[StarryNite]

16. Things just keep getting better and better.

[ReRe]

18. K&R

The enemy is us.

[LudwigPastorius]

19. "...a viable mirror microbe would probably take at least a decade to build..."

AI says, "Hold my beer. I can help".

Seriously, it's either this or some other kind of uncontrollable self-replicating nanotech that will take us out. Climate change, or giant rock from space, won't get the chance.

Seems like we're about to fuck around and find out why we haven't heard from a bunch of technologically advanced civilizations in our galactic neighborhood. The Great Filter is our race's own hubris.

[summer_in_TX]

20. The arrogance and short-sightedness of humans is boundless.

I do NOT have confidence that everyone will immediately stop.

After all, the bio-engineered predator mites have gone beyond the crops and are now infesting people. Since they've been bred to resist pesticides they are incredibly difficult to get rid of, burrowing in and reproducing rapidly.

Yet those and other types of predator mites are still being sold widely. I could buy then now from any one of several places, including Amazon.

I am sure Marjorie Hoy thought she was doing something great for agriculture and was totally blind to her hubris in messing around with the genetics of the mites.

[Hekate]

25. The phrase that keeps coming up in my mind is "clever monkeys" -- you know, the brightest primates ...

…in creation, so enchanted with our own curiosity and cleverness, so pleased with ourselves — and so lacking in foresight and self control that we are going to bring the world down around our ears.

Clever monkeys.

[mountain grammy]

21. What? Humans thinking about the consequences

Of their actions? How quaint…

[pansypoo53219]

24. this was a dr who episode.

[hatrack]

27. And y'all thought Fermi's Paradox was just some dusty science textbook thing . . .

Surprise!!!