Existential Risk of Synthetic Biology: How Biological Engineering Can Help the World or Destroy It
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47611/jsrhs.v12i4.5129Keywords:
Syn-bio, Bio-engineering, Biotech, Governmental Policy, 3D Bio-PrintingAbstract
In the early 2010s, the discovery of the CAS-9 protein thrust genetic editing into the public spotlight. All of a sudden, humans had the power to rapidly and accurately edit DNA, giving us control over the code for life itself. Now, just over a decade later, gene editing and biological engineering have given rise to entirely new industries and fields of research, each with its own possibilities and risks. From synthetic viruses made to target certain types of cancer, to 3D-printed materials that can repair themselves like living tissue, to diseases that have been augmented to carry all of the most dangerous attributes, biological engineering offers some of the most promising, and deadly, technologies of the future. With designer babies, man-made pandemics, and much more on the horizon, it is critical that the global community comes to a consensus about how to properly utilize these technologies without causing our own destruction. This article addresses the promises and dangers of these emerging industries/technologies and offers foresight into the challenges that will arise from biological engineering in the near future. Aside from this, we examine what the international community is doing in terms of oversight for the field, and the steps that we as a species need to take to mitigate the risks of these technologies. Biological engineering offers a future without famine, disease, or maybe even death, but if we are not prepared to guide the technology in the right direction, it also has the potential to be our species' undoing.
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