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Warning over man-made synthetic diseases ‘which could wipe out tens of millions’

Bioweapons are becoming ‘easy to develop’ the report warned (Getty)
Bioweapons are becoming ‘easy to develop’ the report warned (Getty)

Man-made synthetic diseases pose a threat to humanity which could wipe out tens of millions – and could lead to a new arms race in ‘bioweapons’, a new report warns.

A report by American scientists delivered to the Pentagon warned that simple modifications to bacteria could create diseases which were immune to all known antibiotics.

Such weapons are becoming ‘easy to develop’ by rogue scientists or terrorists, the report warned.

The scientists warned that more complex ‘tweaks’ to microbes could lead to bacteria which would live in people’s guts, producing poison.

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Michael Imperiale, Professor of Microbiology and Immunology at the University of Michigan said, ‘’In and of itself, synthetic biology is not harmful.

‘The level of concern depends on the specific applications or capabilities that it may enable,’

‘The US government should pay close attention to this rapidly progressing field, just as it did to advances in chemistry and physics during the Cold War era.’

Astronomer Royal Martin Rees warned earlier this century, ‘’My concern is not only organized terrorist groups, but individual weirdos with the mindset of the people who now design computer viruses.’

In America, enthusiasts calling themselves ‘biohackers’ race to engineer new strains of bacteria – and perhaps even new forms of life.

The field ‘synthetic biology’ came into being in 2010 when a scientist added synthetic DNA to a bacteria cell to create a ‘new’ life form.

An Oxford ethicist warned that it opened the door to ‘the most powerful bioweapons imaginable’.