Amateur biologists are goofing around with genetics in garage-based labs that some fear could unleash new and dangerous life forms.The new effort, dubbed biohacking, harkens to revolutions in infotech hatched by individuals that founded Apple, Hewlett Packard and Google.
While, individual kitchen-counter chemists may become biohackers, the field has already become organized: One of the more serious examples is a community lab set up by a Cambridge, Mass. group called DIYbio (do-it-yourself biology). Co-founder Mackenzie Cowell said amateurs might do things as diverse as creating new vaccines to using squid genes to make tattoos that glow.
“We should try to make science more sexy and more fun and more like a game,” Cowell.
I hope he said more than that. Otherwise, he’s an idiot.
I suppose that sooner or later some bright high school sophomore will poison half a town or turn the residents of Boston into green glowing mush. Then, the concept of stringent control, both for safety and verifiable results, will add gene patrols to local police departments.
I can see the comptroller at the Department of Homeland Insecurity rubbing his hands in anticipation, now.
Well, once the bug is out of the petri dish, tell me again what will stop it from spreading world wide?
Be afraid, very afraid.
As insightful experts are so fond of saying: “Its not whether or not it will happen, but when it will happen.”
I love that line.
I always thought that modified gut bacteria that produce THC would be a funny gag. Just dose a person’s lunch with the modified bacteria and the recipient will be stoned for a good long while. The only cure would be killing all of the but bacteria and starting off with a new culture.
#3–Improbus==excellent. When possible, how could that possibly not happen. Murphy’s Law, etc. And that really is just one of the dangers==not the intentional malignity man demonstrates at every opportunity–just a joke gone wrong.
D’oh! Not but, but gut.
“While, individual kitchen-counter chemists may become biohackers, the field has already become organized: One of the more serious examples is a community lab set up by a Cambridge, Mass. group called DIYbio (do-it-yourself biology). Co-founder Mackenzie PHILIPS said amateurs might do things as diverse as creating new vaccines to using squid genes to make tattoos that glow.”
THAT name would make more sense
Okay, I so want a glow-in-the-dark tattoo ….
Oh sure, make us even more paranoid for an event that would come at us in one in a billion or worse odds.
#8–orange==so you think who knows who playing with gene splicing on their kitchen table has a one in a billion chance for harm huh? I posted above I thought the risk of harm was unavoidable. I have nothing but pessimism to rely on. What do you base your WAG on?
Christians of the world unite!
Work in a tazer and a warrantless search and it will be on topic for this blog.
I’m a biotechnology major and can tell you the report is extremely over simplifying the work, to produce and genetically modified organism which would do anything meaningful or harmful is much too complex for an amateur with limited time and money using primitive makeshift instruments, where producing a green fluorescent protein -GFP- producing bacteria is very simple as all protocols, DNA and vectors are commercially available… but even such a simple organism would not be stable in real world as the GFP gene is unnecessary load on the organism, the natural selection will take care of it; the bacteria will lose the GFP gene or die out.
These horror scenarios repeated over and over in the media are not very realistic, I would worry about the natural evolution of the pathogens rather than any man made one.
#12–bahram==and how long will it remain so difficult==or don’t you agree the RATE of increase in knowledge is accelerating.
Will escaped manipulated organisms never be a problem? — a thousand years from now —- ten?
Seems to me a modified e. coli could do a lot of damage to the human host and wipe us all out before dying out itself?
Better watch Jurassic Park No 1 again and gain a bit more caution/humility.
#13 bobbo
I said it is difficult for amateurs with limited time, money and equipment.
escaped modified organisms don’t tend to have a great chance of infection a large enough population to produce a critical mass of an epidemic. Just think about the last epidemic in the developed world, when was it? why don’t such things happen more often? you get the point.
In the case of your E.coli, it has to be transmitted to lots of people in order to be able to wipe us all out, but it cant, because we usually don’t let people “poop” in the water supply of out cities.
Last time i watched it, Jurassic park was a since fiction flick, in which a handful of people got killed by wild animals (could have been tigers or wolves for all it matters). believe me, making something deadly and effective is far more difficult that you might think. We (animals) have survived millions years of selection pressure (evolution), its not so easy to wipe us out with something made on a kitchen table.
I would worry about cigarettes and lack of exercise much more if i were you, they are way more likely to kill me and you than any bacteria.
#14–bahram==curious, you take what I think are the key points of worry and turn them into tranquilizers.
Just because something is “difficult” doesn’t mean its impossible so you agree there is a risk but dismiss it at the same time. Very dextrous.
The whole point about desktop manipulated genes is that it is a break from the darwinian evolution that has brought all life to date to this point. THAT IS THE VERY DANGER!!! The model of every infectious disease we have known of to date is irrelevant except that entire civilizations have become extinct when confronted with a biohazard they were not adapted to===like any home grown mutant could be for the entire mammalian group?
So, e. coli goes airborne infection route and shitting in water is no longer the vector. Use even just a little bit of imagination???
The point of Jurassic Park is the foolishness in mankind thinking it can control/understand chaos theory. Just as you think you understand the consequences of manipulated genes in all circumstances. You may be correct today, but the roadmap is worrying in my book.
Bio hazards are EXTREMELY dangerous because once created, they reproduce. None of the other Weapons of Mass Distraction do that.
I don’t know what to make of an “expert” that shows no concern. Insight or lack of imagination? Pessimism or lack of understanding inherent limits?
#13 Bobbo
True, just because something is difficult it does not mean it is impossible (nothing is); exactly as it is not impossible that you would win 100 lotteries in a row.
The point is that it is not very rational to become so alarmed about dangers which have such low probabilities, as i said, the chance of being affected by any other common causes of death, or getting hit by a car is far far greater than any kitchen-table made super bug.
E.coli does not go airborne since it can not produce spores. Actually you might win a Noble if you could change an organism in such a fundamental way.
No disrespect, but i feel what you are arguing here is an image you have shaped about the matter based on science fiction stories and disaster movies not on a deep understanding of the theory of evolution or the science of biology, in real life, in real since, things are very different.
I assure you there are very strict regulations in place to prevent any harm to the environment or the people. Any organism with even the slightest potential for harmfulness is handled strictly in high security labs with air-locks, vaults, etc.
#16–Bahram==thank you for your patience. You are correct, I am not science trained, just a casual reader and my opinion on this is more formed from pessimism than knowledge.
Still–it won’t be long before automated gene splicing techniques are available for the home market. I only pessimistically assume that its not impossible for some high school nerd to accidently splice something he shouldn’t REGARDLESS of what the Federally Funded Weapons Laboratory down the street is doing.
Experts advised the Titanic could not sink. I would never take the first voyage of an ocean liner and I don’t buy software until SP1 is released.
I’m pessimistic and not often disappointed.
Bobbo, reading your comments on the other story about Gaza, i realize what kind of a person you should be and i’m sorry that i wasted my time explaining the matter rationally for you here.
You can go on with your life, fearing the unknown and hating the “others”, i just hope that you do not contaminate too many other people with your twisted ideas, specially any children you might have.
#18–Bahram==why would you confuse two different threads?
You demonstrate the very linkage of relevant with irrelevant that makes peace between people with different points of view fervently held near on impossible.
In my life, I’ve notice that those opinions I hold most dear where those created by emotions rather than clear concise thinking.
I challenge you to identify anything I said about real politics to be in error. I love finding error—correcting it makes me a better person.
All these amateur gene splicers should be set up with labs on Santa Barbara Island and given the best of luxuries. If something gets loose out there, we can just nuke the island off and start over.