Yes, creating mirror life would be a terrible existential risk. But how did this sneak up on us? People were talking about this risk in the 1990s if not earlier. Did the next generation never hear of it?
I think until recently, most scientists assumed that mirror bacteria would (a) not be able to replicate well in an environment without many matching-chirality nutrients, and/or (b) would be caught by the immune system. It’s only recently that a group of scientists got more concerned and did a more in-depth investigation of the question.
Yes, creating mirror life would be a terrible existential risk. But how did this sneak up on us? People were talking about this risk in the 1990s if not earlier. Did the next generation never hear of it?
I think until recently, most scientists assumed that mirror bacteria would (a) not be able to replicate well in an environment without many matching-chirality nutrients, and/or (b) would be caught by the immune system. It’s only recently that a group of scientists got more concerned and did a more in-depth investigation of the question.