Scientists are always working on learning more about the world around us, and in many cases, are looking for ways to improve our lives.

One group of leading biologists has been doing research on a topic that on the surface sounds kind of boring, but when you read the almost 300 page report they published, turns out to be terrifying.

The topic is being called ‘Mirror Life.’ It is a pretty simple concept. Just about all life is based on DNA, which has the famous double helix structure. All known natural organisms have this structure, which twists to the right.

Proteins, on the other hand, have building blocks that twist to the left.

While scientists do not know why, it seems that this is how all living things have evolved. Not surprisingly then, bacteria, viruses, and other potential threats have also evolved based on this reality.

Researchers have been looking into what happens when they artificially create DNA that twists to the left. Since it has the opposite structure, it is being called mirror life. The hope was that it would be possible to come up with treatments for a variety of health issues using this technique. After all, if we were able to create the mirror life, it would have no natural threats so it could be ‘programmed’ to perform a variety of useful functions.

While their intent is undoubtedly good, the risks that come with it are massive. The coauthor of the report, Jack W. Szostak is a Nobel-prize-winning chemist at the University of Chicago.

He talked with the New York Times and said:

“The consequences could be globally disastrous.”

That is a pretty bold claim, but it does seem justified. If this type of mirror life can be used in beneficial ways because it doesn’t otherwise exist in nature, it could also be used in disastrous ways. What happens if, whether intentionally or accidentally, some type of mirror life was made that was harmful rather than beneficial? Or what if mirror life that started off as beneficial evolved to have harmful effects.

Since no living thing has natural immune responses to this type of mirror life, it could spread through not only all humans, but all life, with nothing to stop it.

The authors of the paper published an accompanying letter in Science where they said:

“Unless compelling evidence emerges that mirror life would not pose extraordinary dangers, we believe that mirror bacteria and other mirror organisms, even those with engineered biocontainment measures, should not be created. We therefore recommend that research with the goal of creating mirror bacteria not be permitted, and that funders make clear that they will not support such work.”

If the scientists involved with this type of research consider this to be this type of threat, it should definitely be taken seriously. There is no reason to push forward with research that has the potential to wipe out all life on Earth, no matter what the potential benefits could be.

The problem, however, is that once an idea is out there, it is very difficult to get everyone to stop looking into it.

Hopefully the warnings are heeded and this potentially apocalyptic research will stop.

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