A 'second tree of life' could wreak havoc, scientists warn

Research on altering fundamental DNA, protein structures could lead to synthesis of lethal organisms

- CARL ZIMMER

N THURSDAY, 38 prominent biologists issued a dire warning: Within a few decades, scientists will be able to create a microbe that could cause an unstoppable pandemic, devastating crop losses or the collapse of entire ecosystems. The scientists called for a ban on research that could lead to synthesis of such an organism.

"The consequences could be globally disastrous," said Jack W Szostak, a Nobel-prize-winning chemist at the University of Chicago who helped write a 299-page technical report on the risks of the research. In an accompanying commentary in the journal Science, Szostak and his colleagues warned that an organism created with the new technology could cause "extraordinarily damaging consequences for the environment, agriculture, and human well-being."