Using genetic engineering tools , scientists remove the genome from an existing microbe , such as a bacterium , and replace it with a genetic sequence they create in a lab . These brand new creatures , which have been described as “ interspecies clones ” and “ bacterial robots ” ( Schmidt , 2010 ), are typically designed to perform a single task , such as cleaning up a toxic spill ( Kachel , 2019 ). They can also be engineered to respond to various environmental conditions such as changes in light , electromagnetic fields , and pH . They can self-assemble or be programmed to disassemble ( Trump , 2017 ). And they can reproduce and persist in the environment .
Microorganisms travel . The world did not need a pandemic to understand how microbes and viruses can cross borders and rapidly encircle the globe .
Synthetic Life Forms Carry Profound Risks
Enthusiastic tinkerers hope synthetic biology can provide solutions for energy , hunger , and disease . However , a major stumbling block to their dreams is that science is still in the early stages of understanding the intricate details of how the genome works . Every few months , models are shattered by a new discovery , typically revealing molecular biology as far more complex than previously assumed . One genetics professor remarked that it used to take him only one class to describe genes . Now it takes a whole semester .
Creating and releasing reproducible synthetic lifeforms based on today ’ s partial knowledge carries considerable risks .
Invasive Species : United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity ( CBD ) Definition
Invasive alien species are plants , animals , pathogens , and other organisms non-native to an ecosystem , and which may cause economic or environmental harm or adversely affect human health . In particular , they impact adversely upon biodiversity , including decline or elimination of native species - through competition , predation , or transmission of pathogens - and the disruption of local ecosystems and ecosystem functions .
CBD , What are Invasive Alien Species ? 1992 , Rio de Janeiro : Convention on Biological Diversity ( CBD ), United Nations .