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May 24th, 2010

The perils of creating synthetic life

Abstract:
Right now, however, it is the regulatory issues in relation to safety and security (called 'biosafety' and 'biosecurity') that cause my greatest concern. Biosafety relates to researchers, the public, to animals and the environment. Regulators and/or scientists need to consider any potential unintended consequences of the release of synthetic organisms, both in the laboratory and in the environment. Some commentators worry about 'green goo' - analogous to the 'grey goo' envisaged by nanotechnology commentators. This may be a little too extreme for most of us to believe, but does at least bring home the point that safety measures need to be considered carefully.

Source:
bionews.org.uk

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