A group of researchers has published new findings in Science Policy Forum on potential risks from the development of mirror bacteria—synthetic organisms in which all molecules have reversed chirality ...

Most major biological molecules, including all proteins, DNA and RNA, point in one direction or another. In other words, they are chiral, or handed. Like how your left glove fits only your left hand ...

Scientists are calling for a halt to the creation of “mirror bacteria,” synthetic microorganisms built from the reversed molecular building blocks of natural life. According to a comprehensive report ...

Hold out your hands, palms up, and move them so they are on top of each other. With a little experimentation—and perhaps a few rather flamboyant gestures—you'll find that no matter what you do, your ...

“Mirror life”—a synthetic organism, mirror-reversed on the molecular level from natural life—sounds like an impossibility. And so far, it is—even the simplest mirror bacterium would be dramatically ...

When you look in a mirror, the reflection is fundamentally you, but with a perfect reversal of all your features. This illustrates a phenomenon we also see in the tiny world of molecules. Some ...

Our hands are mirror images of each other. Unless you flip one hand around, they’ll never look the same. Scientists call this chirality, and the mirror-like property is fundamental to all life on ...

Holly has a degree in Medical Biochemistry from the University of Leicester. Her scientific interests include genomics, personalized medicine, and bioethics.View full profile Holly has a degree in ...

Even the most disparate forms of life on this planet have one thing in common—they're made of the same building blocks. As scientists seek to better understand the molecular nature of life, the ...

Mirror bacteria and microbes are synthetic lifeforms made to reflect existing life on Earth. They could serve as tools to treat diseases, but some scientists are concerned about potentially ...