Experts Call for Action Against ‘Mirror Life’ to Protect Global Health

A consortium of scientists is advocating for an urgent dialogue on the potential hazards posed by life forms composed of ‘mirror-image molecules,’ due to the considerable risks these entities may entail for global health.

While these extraordinary organisms have yet to be realized, the authors contend that we must scrutinize this emerging frontier with careful examination before proceeding further.

According to the 38 experts in a recent Science commentary, “Driven by curiosity and promising applications, some researchers have embarked on endeavors to create life forms comprised entirely of mirror-image biological molecules.”

The authors assert that “Such mirror organisms would represent a profound deviation from established life forms, thus necessitating meticulous contemplation.“

All known life derives from ‘right-handed’ nucleotides in DNA and RNA, alongside ‘left-handed’ amino acids that construct proteins. This phenomenon is characterized as homochirality. While the precise origins of this characteristic are still unclear, it remains an immutable aspect of our biosphere’s chemical processes, leaving no room for alternatives.

Intriguingly, the existence of mirror-image counterparts to our nucleotides and amino acids has sparked speculation among researchers about the feasibility of developing a novel kind of life based on these reversed molecules.

The pursuit of such an endeavor would initially focus on creating simpler organisms, like bacteria. Researchers are drawn to these peculiar bacteria for several reasons. For pharmaceutical companies, the labor-intensive production of molecules from scratch is often outsourced to bacteria; however, to generate mirror-image molecules, they require mirror-image microbes.

In 2016, Harvard geneticist George Church and his team successfully produced a mirror version of DNA polymerase, an essential enzyme for DNA replication. At that time, Church hailed this advancement as a “significant milestone” toward the ultimate goal of constructing an entire mirror-image cell. Presently, however, Church finds himself among the 38 scientists expressing caution regarding this trajectory.

The potential incapacity of biological systems to decompose these mirror proteins was once seen as an advantage, yet this very incompatibility with conventional life is now alarming scientists.

Biochemist Michael Kay from the University of Utah articulates, “There is a plausible threat that mirror life could proliferate uncontrollably, as it would likely evade natural regulatory mechanisms that limit bacterial overgrowth.” He further elaborates, “These mechanisms include bacterial predators, antibiotics, and the immune system, which are not expected to affect a mirror organism or its digestive enzymes.“

This inverted life form might be compromised by its organic incompatibility. Our molecular chirality facilitates compatibility with the molecular structures of the organisms we consume; consequently, it is likely that mirror bacteria would struggle to survive without sustenance that mirrors their own composition.

Nevertheless, the collective of scientists behind this paper remains firmly convinced that we cannot afford to engage in experimentation with such uncertainties, even if the risks are not imminent.

According to microbiologist Vaughn Cooper from the University of Pittsburgh, “Although creating such an organism would be immensely challenging, we must halt that progress and urgently engage in a thorough, collaborative dialogue on effective governance in this matter.” He concludes, “There is an exciting potential for groundbreaking science within these technologies that we wish to nurture; however, the construction of a mirror bacterium is an unwarranted risk.“

This critical discourse is documented in a recent issue of Science, accompanied by a technical report released by Stanford University.