28th
Biotech Might Create The Dreaded Nano-Goo
Biotech startups are trying to solve the world’s energy problem by making “super-biological” processes that can convert cellulose to ethanol or other fuels. But this approach strikes me as the way to create the sci-fi “nano-goo” scenario where little nano-robots consume everything in their path. Usually, this “grey goo” stuff is thought of as being totally artificial, but.. what if these biotech firms create a super-bug that eats all sugars and cellulose and turns it into ethanol? hmm. Okay, the odds of such a man-made bug being so robust that it could survive outside of a lab reactor sounds pretty low, but hopefully these bioengineers are thinking a couple steps ahead — so that they’re not creating “green goo” that will destroy the ecosystem.
