Mirror Cell, Mirror Cell

Dozens of scientists issued a warning yesterday, urging others to end research on mirror cells. Such a microbe—potentially 10 to 30 years away—was likened to the possibility of creating a second "Tree of Life." 

While it's not clear why, all DNA is made up of "right-handed" molecules, while proteins are made up of "left-handed" amino acids (see overview). In recent years, scientists have managed to create right-handed proteins mirroring those in our bodies. These proteins take longer to break down and may lead to treatments for HIV and Alzheimer's.

However, scientists now warn building other "mirror" elements of a cell could lead to a viable "mirror microbe" within years. They say such bacteria could evade not only humans' immune defenses but all organisms' immune defenses, faster than researchers could devise a mirror antibiotic to end a pandemic.

The group of 38 scientists includes two Nobel laureates and Dr. Craig Venter, who led the private effort to sequence the human genome in the 1990s. Read their letter here; see the full report here.