Mirror life could soon be built — and it might endanger every living thing on Earth
It may soon be possible to create "mirror life"
Many molecules essential to life come in two mirror-image forms, yet Earth's organisms use only one. Scientists are now closing in on building "mirror life" — organisms made from the opposite-handed versions of those molecules. The Economist reports that such research poses serious risks to humanity and the planet, raising urgent questions about whether it should proceed at all.
Biology is handed. In other words, many molecules essential to living organisms come in two distinct forms which, like human hands, are non-identical mirror images of one another.
- tomaskafka
Finally, we built a mirror bacteria from the famous "Don't create a mirror bacteria" paper.
- boesboes
Or maybe we could focus on something not world ending for once?
- acaloiar
Gift link: https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2026/09/30/...
- sir_eliah
There's a series of books from Petter Watts that give plenty of good reasons why this might not be the best idea:
- "Starfish"
- "Maelstrom"
- "βehemoth"
- vulture916
The article about (another) the end of the world is behind a paywall, the tweet about it is behind a login screen - guess I'll find out when it happens!
In my world, that'd be illegal.