How to End Humanity with Synthetic Biology

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“I would say that many people, in academic and commercial labs, if they were twisted in exactly the right way, could probably at this point destroy humanity. I mean that literally.”
— Rob Reid

SHOW DESCRIPTION

Location: Zoom
Date: Saturday 16th May
Role: Author & Entrepreneur

The coronavirus pandemic has dramatically impacted society, shutting down countries and stalling economies. There have now been over 10 million reported cases worldwide and over 500,000 deaths. While it has been an unprecedented event for modern times, it provides a warning for the devastating impact viruses can have. 

H5N1, a virus more deadly than COVID-19 but it did not have the same impact, as it was not as contagious. So, what are the chances of a disease like that H5N1 occurring in nature which is as infectious as COVID-19?

With increasing evidence that COVID-19 may have originated from a laboratory, perhaps it is humans who pose the most significant risk.

With synthetic biology advancing at an exponential rate, it may not be long until the tools needed to create a highly contagious and devastatingly deadly virus with the potential to wipe out humanity are available to anyone.

While this sounds scary, the same tools could also cure cancer, aids, and malaria; even end shortages in organs and solve global hunger with lab-grown meat.

In this interview, recorded for my previous audio documentary The Future of Technology, I talk to author Rob Reid. We discuss Synthetic Biology and how it will simultaneously provide us with tools to cure disease and end humanity.

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