MIT Technology Review Narrated
Apr 29, 2026 · 25 min · 17 segments
Synthetic biologists were tantalized by the idea of making mirror images of microbes. Then things got complicated. This story was written by Stephen Ornes and narrated by Noa - newsoveraudio.com
Matt HonanHost
For four days in February 2019, some 30 synthetic biologists and ethicists hunkered down at a conference center in Northern Virginia to brainstorm high-risk, cutting-edge, irresistibly exciting ideas that the National Science Foundation should fund.
By the end of the meeting, they'd landed on a compelling contender, making mirror bacteria.
Should they come to be, the lab-created microbes would be structured and organized like ordinary bacteria, with one important exception.
Key biological molecules like proteins, sugars, and lipids would be the mirror images of those found in nature.
For four days in February 2019, some 30 synthetic biologists and ethicists hunkered down at a conference center in Northern Virginia to brainstorm high-risk, cutting-edge, irresistibly exciting ideas that the National Science Foundation should fund.
By the end of the meeting, they'd landed on a compelling contender, making mirror bacteria.
Should they come to be, the lab-created microbes would be structured and organized like ordinary bacteria, with one important exception.
Key biological molecules like proteins, sugars, and lipids would be the mirror images of those found in nature.
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