this post was submitted on 13 Dec 2024
330 points (98.2% liked)

World News

39333 readers
2413 users here now

A community for discussing events around the World

Rules:

Similarly, if you see posts along these lines, do not engage. Report them, block them, and live a happier life than they do. We see too many slapfights that boil down to "Mom! He's bugging me!" and "I'm not touching you!" Going forward, slapfights will result in removed comments and temp bans to cool off.

We ask that the users report any comment or post that violate the rules, to use critical thinking when reading, posting or commenting. Users that post off-topic spam, advocate violence, have multiple comments or posts removed, weaponize reports or violate the code of conduct will be banned.

All posts and comments will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. This means that some content that violates the rules may be allowed, while other content that does not violate the rules may be removed. The moderators retain the right to remove any content and ban users.


Lemmy World Partners

News [email protected]

Politics [email protected]

World Politics [email protected]


Recommendations

For Firefox users, there is media bias / propaganda / fact check plugin.

https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/media-bias-fact-check/

founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
 

Summary

Leading scientists, including Nobel laureates, are urging a halt to research on creating “mirror life” microbes, citing “unprecedented risks” to life on Earth.

Mirror microbes, built from reversed molecular structures, could evade natural immune systems, leading to uncontrollable lethal infections.

While mirror molecules hold potential for medical and industrial uses, researchers warn that mirror organisms could escape containment and resist antibiotics.

A 299-page report in Science advocates banning such research until safety can be ensured and calls for global debate on its ethical and ecological implications.

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] [email protected] 12 points 5 days ago (2 children)

Because apparently the only way to get rid of it is extreme incineration.

This isn't viral or bacterial, where just a little bit of heat, UV or decay will kill it.

When someone dies of prion disease, they need to incinerate everything. Clothes/Body/Beds, the whole thing.

These are nightmare fuel.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago)

UV or heat, or ethylene oxide and a number of other things still would kill wrong chirality bacteria, these are not prions, where are you people are getting this from

[–] [email protected] 2 points 5 days ago (1 children)

Exactly this!

For the most part Pathogens and even GMOs are only present an environmental threat in their living form, and once properly sterilised, can be disposed of safely.

These mirror organisms would be dangerous in living and dead form, as they'd be chuck full of mirror proteins and biological molescules, any of which could trigger an environmental disaster if released by accident, so they'd have to be completely destroyed to be safe.

Without proper regulations to ensure proper safeguards are in place, continued research into these organisms is plain dangerous

[–] [email protected] 0 points 5 days ago

These mirror organisms would be dangerous in living and dead form, as they’d be chuck full of mirror proteins and biological molescules, any of which could trigger an environmental disaster if released by accident

where are you getting this from? dead bacteria don't come back to life