Warning over dangers posed by creation of 'artificial life'

AN EMERGING field of science which is being used to create artificial life is at risk of damaging the ecosystem and being abused by terrorists, according to a new report.
Scientists have high hopes for a new technique called synthetic biology, which involves engineering organisms so they work in new ways that do not currently exist in nature.

It has been claimed that the process could create new fuels to replace petrol and new drugs to combat disease.

In the United States, scientists have controversially used the technique to create an entirely new type of life. However, a report by scientists at the University of Nottingham highlights ethical and social concerns over the use of synthetic biology and recommends new controls and regulations need to be put in place.

One area of concern is "bioterrorism", where synthetic biology could be used to produce new organisms designed to be hostile to humans.

Andrew Balmer and Professor Paul Martin, the report's authors, also suggest a threat from "garage biology", with people experimenting at home.

And they emphasise that there is no policy on the impact of synthetic biology on international bioweapons conventions.

The report, "Synthetic Biology: Social and Ethical Challenges", also highlights concerns about the accidental release of synthetic organisms into the environment.

The authors, from the Institute for Science and Society at the University if Nottingham, write: "By their very nature, such biological machines could evolve, proliferate and produce unexpected interactions that might alter the ecosystem."

They highlight anxieties over the idea of creating artificial life, with the process of synthetic biology provoking fears about scientists "playing God".

Craig Venter, a controversial DNA researcher, was last year credited with creating an artificial life form in the laboratory.

The report recommends that robust controls are put in place before the science develops, with a review of existing regulations and the development of new measures.
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I am ambivalent about this. While I believe under the right controls this type of biology may make advances in curing diseases, I too am wary of controls over it and it falling into the wrong hands. Not unlike my disdain for Monsanto and their GM crops. No telling how much a company like it or a defense contractor would pay to have the technology to make cells into bioweapons.