This is one of the most powerful technologies in the world, Synthetic biology the
writing of life.
Synthetic biology is accelerating faster than computer technology,
say experts who have warned that hackers could someday use it to develop a computer
virus to bend human minds. According to Andrew Hessel of Singularity
University on US space agency Nasas research campus, It could lead to a world where
hackers could engineer viruses or bacteria to control human minds.
This is one of the most powerful technologies in the world, Synthetic biology the
writing of life. I advocate cells are living computers and DNA is a programming
language. I want to see life programmed and used to solve global challenges so that
humanity can achieve a sustainable relationship within the biosphere. It’s growing
fast. It will grow faster than computer technologies. He predicts a world where
people can print DNA, and even decode it. But he warned that viruses and bacteria
send chemicals into human brains and could someday be used to influence, or even
control their host.
A literal virus injected into a host in the guise of a vaccine, say could be used
to control behaviour, says Andrew Hessel who warns people maybe to learn how to
counterattack against such weapons. Security expert Marc Goodman said: Synthetic
biology will lead to new forms of bioterrorism. Biocrime today is akin to computer
crime in the early Eighties, Few initially recognised the problem but it grew exponentially.
When billionaire entrepreneur Craig Venter created life last year by adding synthetic
DNA to a bacteria cell, Prof Julian Savulescu of Oxford University said: This could
be used in the future to make the most powerful bioweapons imaginable. The challenge
is to eat the fruit without worm. Hessel, however, is generally optimistic about
the future of synthetic biology. We are going to make synthetic genomes human genomes.
It will make cloning look organic. It will make human reproduction look quaint.
Courtesy: Times of India
