A Firebreak for Mirror Life

Gerald L. Epstein

CommentaryPosted on rand.org Jan 20, 2026Published in: Issues in Science and Technology, Volume XLII, No. 1 (Fall 2025)

In “Building Decision Points Into Research’s Slipperiest Slopes” (Issues, Summer 2025), John H. Evans, Craig Callender, Neal K. Devaraj, Farren J. Isaacs, and Gregory E. Kaebnick make a valuable contribution to the mirror life debate by looking more closely at, if not “red lines,” then possible “stop and think” lines. However, the article does not sufficiently recognize the potential for actors who would deliberately seek to inflict catastrophic harm by developing mirror organisms and releasing them into the wild.

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Document Details

  • Publisher: National Academy of Sciences and Arizona State University
  • Availability: Non-RAND
  • Year: 2025
  • Pages: 1
  • Document Number: EP-71212

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