What is 'mirror life' bacteria and why are scientists so worried about it?

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Top scientists around the world have warned that research on ‘mirror life’ bacteria presents what they call an “unprecedented risk” to human life.

A group of international Nobel laureates have warned that ongoing experiments to create this mirror bacteria could slip through the natural defences of living organisms, allowing disease to spread through plants, animals and humans alike.

It all sounds a bit terrifying, even if it’s the sort of thing we have heard countless times before. But a 38-strong group of scientists urging researchers to end their work? That’s some serious stuff.

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Here’s the lo-down on what this ‘mirror life’ bacteria actually is - and why scientists are so concerned.

This bacteria does not form naturally, and is being created in a lab.This bacteria does not form naturally, and is being created in a lab.
This bacteria does not form naturally, and is being created in a lab. | Adobe Stock

What is ‘mirror life’ bacteria?

Everything in life is built from DNA, proteins and carbohydrates, forming biomolecules that come in all sorts of forms. They also take left-handed and right-handed shapes, mirroring one another.

DNA, for example, is composed of right-handed molecules, while left-handed amino acids make up proteins. This dictates how the molecules react and engage with their surroundings.

This idea of ‘mirror life’ bacteria flips this, reverse-handing the molecule composition. As this does not occur naturally, this work is being done in a laboratory. Some of these bacteria have already been used for years in medicines, since natural enzymes struggle to break them down - increasing shelf life.

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Why are scientists worried?

Professor Vaughn Cooper, an evolutionary biologist at the University of Pittsburgh, has warned that this research has an “unprecedented risk” to human life. He said: “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.”

In a statement published by Science, the group opposing the research added: “Unless compelling evidence emerges that mirror life would not pose extraordinary dangers, we believe that mirror bacteria and other mirror organisms, even those with engineered biocontainment measures, should not be created.

“We therefore recommend that research with the goal of creating mirror bacteria not be permitted, and that funders make clear that they will not support such work.”

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