Romans 1:22
"On a molecular level, life as we know it has a surprising bias. The building blocks of life — DNA, RNA, and proteins — have a “handedness,” like our left and right hands. For reasons still unclear, nature almost exclusively uses right-handed DNA and left-handed proteins.
"On a molecular level, life as we know it has a surprising bias. The building blocks of life — DNA, RNA, and proteins — have a “handedness,” like our left and right hands. For reasons still unclear, nature almost exclusively uses right-handed DNA and left-handed proteins.
Q: But what if science flipped the script?
In labs around the world, scientists have tinkered with this idea, crafting mirror versions of life’s essential molecules.
In labs around the world, scientists have tinkered with this idea, crafting mirror versions of life’s essential molecules.
These synthetic creations could revolutionize therapies for diseases
and contamination-resistant manufacturing. At the same time, reversing a molecule’s handedness could cause untold harm.
This week, nearly 40 scientists — including two Nobel laureates — raised a chilling alarm. The creation of “mirror life” — synthetic organisms made of these reversed molecules — could lead to catastrophic consequences. Their nearly 300-page report, published in Science, is unequivocal: research on mirror microbes should stop before it’s too late.
“The threat we’re talking about is unprecedented,” said Professor Vaughn Cooper, a microbiologist 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.”
The symmetry of molecules is fundamental. Almost every known living organism comprises left-handed proteins and right-handed DNA. Our immune systems are exquisitely tuned to detect pathogens with these configurations. But mirror bacteria, with their flipped structures, could slip past our defenses unnoticed.
“Ultimately, that host will be overrun, and that will be fatal,” warned Vaughn Cooper.
Imagine you’re trying to shake someone’s hand, but as you offer your right hand, they extend their left. The match feels awkward, even
though both hands are functionally and structurally identical. This is a bit like molecular handedness — known as chirality — and it defines the architecture of life’s molecules.
“The impact on the food chain would be devastating,” Deepa Agashe, an evolutionary biologist at India’s National Center for Biological Sciences, told the NY Times.
Even mirror molecules can be extremely dangerous, let alone mirror life. The drug thalidomide — prescribed in the 1950s to ease morning sickness — is a famous cautionary tale of chirality. One mirror version soothed nausea, while the other caused severe birth defects. Tragically, this knowledge came too late for thousands of families. The two forms of thalidomide could switch to the other in the body, leading to devastating consequences."
This week, nearly 40 scientists — including two Nobel laureates — raised a chilling alarm. The creation of “mirror life” — synthetic organisms made of these reversed molecules — could lead to catastrophic consequences. Their nearly 300-page report, published in Science, is unequivocal: research on mirror microbes should stop before it’s too late.
“The threat we’re talking about is unprecedented,” said Professor Vaughn Cooper, a microbiologist 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.”
The symmetry of molecules is fundamental. Almost every known living organism comprises left-handed proteins and right-handed DNA. Our immune systems are exquisitely tuned to detect pathogens with these configurations. But mirror bacteria, with their flipped structures, could slip past our defenses unnoticed.
“Ultimately, that host will be overrun, and that will be fatal,” warned Vaughn Cooper.
Imagine you’re trying to shake someone’s hand, but as you offer your right hand, they extend their left. The match feels awkward, even
“The impact on the food chain would be devastating,” Deepa Agashe, an evolutionary biologist at India’s National Center for Biological Sciences, told the NY Times.
Even mirror molecules can be extremely dangerous, let alone mirror life. The drug thalidomide — prescribed in the 1950s to ease morning sickness — is a famous cautionary tale of chirality. One mirror version soothed nausea, while the other caused severe birth defects. Tragically, this knowledge came too late for thousands of families. The two forms of thalidomide could switch to the other in the body, leading to devastating consequences."
ZMEScience
