Brewing apocalypse: scientists urge ban of this one bacteria to save us all

Bacteria escape the laboratory and cause a worldwide apocalypse. While this sounds like a premise for a sci-fi movie, it is more real than we think.

A group of 38 scientists from different fields have published a public commentary on Science Journal, stating that synthetic bacteria could escape and unleash a plague that would wipe out the entire population of the Earth.

The so-called mirror-image is a synthetic creature that is made from chemical compounds that are entirely different from organisms in nature.

Scientists create killer bacteria

All the key molecules that create life, like proteins, DNA, and RNA, come in two versions that mirror each other – like left and right hands. However, in nature, only one version is used. For example, proteins are "left-handed," and DNA and RNA are "right-handed.

"Scientists have created synthetic versions of the mirror-image of these molecules. Synthetic molecules are valuable for making drugs because mirror-image amino acids and peptides are tougher for the body’s enzymes to break down, allowing the drugs to remain effective for longer.

However, a mirror-image bacteria could have a devastating impact on life that was not built to fight such synthetic predators.

If a mirror-image bacteria that can reproduce is created, it could spread unstoppably and harm other microbes, plants, and animals. According to scientists, animals’ and humans’ immune systems would not notice the killer bacteria until it is too late to act, while any exposure to contaminated dust or soil could be fatal.

While biologists will still need at least a decade to create these life forms, scientists argue that there should be a worldwide consensus on banning research and funding that aims to create the bacteria.

“It’s hard to overstate how severe these risks could be,” says Ruslan Medzhitov, an immunologist at Yale University and one of the authors.

“If mirror bacteria were to spread through infected animals and plants, much of the planet’s many environments could be contaminated,” added Jack Szostak, a co-author and a 2019 Nobel Prize-winning chemist at the University of Chicago.

“The result could be catastrophic, irreversible damage, perhaps far worse than any challenge we’ve previously encountered.”

Not all scientists agree

Death for all life is what the group that authored the commentary most fears. But not all scientists seem to be concerned. On the contrary, some fear that research bans could slow progress unrelated to the creation of self-reproducing synthetic bacteria.

Gigi Gronvall, an immunologist and biosecurity expert at Johns Hopkins University, describes the concerns in the paper as theoretical. She supports the authors' call for open discussion but disagrees with banning research and funding before the discussion takes place.

“That really puts the cart before the horse. Science has a lot of surprises in store,” she commented to Science journal.

“I think it’s irresponsible for [the authors] to make this policy call,” said Andrew Ellington, a synthetic biologist at the University of Texas at Austin.

“It’s like banning the transistor because you’re worried about cybercrime 30 years later.”