Paywalled article. :(
Sooooo… Mirror cells can’t be latched onto by normal cells. Why would mirror cells be able to latch onto normal cells? This seems like fear mongering because, logically speaking, if A can’t attach to B, then B can’t attach to A. I suppose you could program mirror cells to attack normal cells via indirect means (creating toxins that kill normal cells), but it seems like they’d struggle to fulfill their purpose because the article makes it sound like their “diet” is also mirrored.
I mean the preferance in chirality for organisms was something mentioned in organic chem classes so it is interesting we might actually make the other type. I would be more worried about the proteins themselves acting like prions or such. I mean I doubt our cell structure would replicate it but you never know what the interactions are going to act like.
In recent decades, chemists have discovered how to make mirror proteins. Researchers have welded together right-handed amino acids to create mirror versions of natural proteins made by our own bodies.
Mirror proteins behave much like their natural counterparts, with one important difference: They take much longer to break down. That’s because the natural enzymes that normally degrade proteins have shapes that are adapted for attacking left-handed proteins.
They cannot grip mirror proteins and cut them into fragments. Their failure is akin to what happens if you try to twist open a lid from a jar by turning it counterclockwise, only to discover that the threads on the jar twist in the opposite direction.
Chemists are now trying to exploit mirror proteins, hoping they can be used to create long-acting drugs for diseases ranging from H.I.V. to Alzheimer’s.
Could Wreak Havoc
yeah… so what are we giving it before one of these things escapes containment, 5 years? less?
In this timeline? We’re probably looking at this spring for the next bout of mayhem
That’s fear on the basis of “it’s different”, nothing more. If it’s justified; i don’t think so.
