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146 sats \ 4 replies \ @Imyourfed 13 Dec \ on: ‘Unprecedented risk’ to life on Earth: call for halt on mirror microbe research science
Definitely risky! I'm not an expert though. Mirror molecules don’t interact with natural enzymes or proteins the same way, so they could be super useful in medicine or industry. But if they escaped, they can disrupt ecosystems or cause infections we can’t treat. But I doubt they will stop this. Or they might introduce new precautions to take?
Bad faith comment: guess it'll depend on whether Fauci gets some NSF funds to perform American research in Wuhan~~
Ok i get your point about how they would not interact with natural molecules with opposite chirality. As a scientist, i can imagine how such research must sound very enticing and interesting. But we know what similarly controversial gain-of-function research has led to...
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I think there’s value in balancing curiosity driven science with precautions. Maybe stronger global guidelines and more transparency could help reduce risks and still allowing research to move forward carefully. I just don’t want to see another infectious strain that could destroy any kind of life, so I felt the need to comment on it.
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We're on the same page here...
And given the document in Science has been signed by a lot of scientists, it likely means the danger is real as they are going against their innate scientific curiosity with such stance.
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Absolutely, if so many scientists are raising concerns it tells how serious the risks are. It’s not good to pause exciting research, but it is necessary to understand the dangers first. Thank you
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