The University of Minnesota reported that scientists are working to create mirror bacteria. These potential future microorganisms will be mirror images of existing bacteria at the molecular level. However, leading industry stakeholders are less than thrilled about this budding scientific advancement.
What's happening?
While a decade will likely pass before these organisms join the ecosystem, progress has been made recently, and the potential fallout has alarmed industry experts. That is why professionals in various related fields, including immunology, biosecurity, planetary sciences, and ecology, have joined forces on a 300-page report in Science discussing the threat of such a creation.
Regarding the Science report, the University of Minnesota said that 38 authors in nine countries agree that this manufactured bacteria can seriously damage the immunity of humans, animals, and plants. That's because immune systems across species work by recognizing specific molecular shapes in bacteria.
However, the concept of mirror bacteria involves reversing the cellular chirality, which is the property of an object you can't superimpose on the mirror image. A good example is your left and right hands.
Why are mirror bacteria concerning?
Mirror bacteria can make it hard for immune systems to recognize and fight related infections.
"This form of life has never existed or evolved. Consequently, all biological interactions would be different or likely wouldn't work. A synthesized mirrored microbe wouldn't just be just essentially invisible to animals and likely plants, but also other microbes, including viruses that could attack and kill it," said Vaughn Cooper, professor of microbiology and molecular genetics, per the University of Pittsburgh.
The authors of the report concluded that "mirror bacteria should not be created," according to the University of Pittsburgh. Since the behavior of these bacteria is unknown and they have no natural predators, no one knows how they may evolve and how invasive they can become. After the most recent pandemic, people have cause for concern about another unknown outbreak.
What's being done about mirror bacteria?
In addition to the published report, many of the authors are planning a series of events in 2025 to discuss the findings in depth. They'll also discuss action steps to avoid the predicted risks. Joining forces to state their case now instead of waiting for the final bacteria creation is a step in protecting the planet, people, animals, and plants from a massive invasion various species may not be able to fight off.
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