4 ms·

With the pace of advancements in gene editing and the availability of biology maker-spaces, I expect that we're soon going to find out that the "3D printed guns

With the pace of advancements in gene editing and the availability of biology maker-spaces, I expect that we're soon going to find out that the "3D printed guns" issue of hobbyist biology will be simple cells like yeast modified to synthesize illegal drugs. It may not be as efficient as industrial chemistry could be, but it only takes one entity producing such a cell before it will become a mainstay of illicit bathtubs everywhere. Every time I see an article like this I wonder why it hasn't already happened. We already have yeast that produce the active ingredients in cannabis, and I suspect the only reason nobody cares is because many people just grow plants anyway. How will this be handled once we can go a step further and make completely new genes that can make artificial drugs like LSD?

ci5er 10y ago
> and make completely new genes that can make artificial drugs like LSD? How do you mean? Lysergic acid is a naturally occurring biogenic substance.
- nsxwolf 10y ago
  Lysergic acid diethylmide isn't.
ceejayoz 10y ago
Relevant: http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2013/09/17/223345977/auto-brewery-syndrome-apparently-you-can-make-beer-in-your-gut http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2013/09/17/223345977/aut... > The patient had an infection with Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Cordell says. So when he ate or drank a bunch of starch — a bagel, pasta or even a soda — the yeast fermented the sugars into ethanol, and he would get drunk. Essentially, he was brewing beer in his own gut. Cordell and McCarthy reported the case of "auto-brewery syndrome" a few months ago in the International Journal of Clinical Medicine.
- dpatrick86 10y ago
  Getting infected with an illicit-chemical producing variant of that might be quite inconvenient!
  - M_Grey 10y ago
    Just being infected with that, and being pulled over with a high BAC would be too. Clever way to get someone out of the way too, without killing them. Who would believe a drunk driver vs. their blood test results and a video of them obviously intoxicated?
M_Grey 10y ago
You worry about that. I'll worry about someone growing a fungus or microbe strain to wipe out crops, livestock, or people.
bbernoulli 10y ago
Already exists: https://www.theguardian.com/science/2015/aug/13/yeast-cells-genetically-modified-to-create-morphine-like-painkiller https://www.theguardian.com/science/2015/aug/13/yeast-cells-...
beautifulfreak 10y ago
The pathway for cocaine synthesis is known. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/nuccore/KC140149 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/nuccore/KC140149 and https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4281001/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4281001/ I'd be surprised if drug cartels with all their money hadn't tried to modify plants or yeast to reduce their risks.
Leynos 10y ago
When you mentioned "3D printed guns", it brought to mind the yeast strain in the novel "Rule 34" modified to synthesize spider silk for use in garden shed weapon factories. :)
88e282102ae2e5b 10y ago
> Every time I see an article like this I wonder why it hasn't already happened Evolution, unfortunately, ruins all the fun. Producing all those proteins to make your drug of choice puts a large burden on the cells - any of them that lose those genes to mutations in the DNA will be able to grow slightly faster and eventually take over the entire culture.

ci5er 10y ago

> and make completely new genes that can make artificial drugs like LSD? How do you mean? Lysergic acid is a naturally occurring biogenic substance.

nsxwolf 10y ago
Lysergic acid diethylmide isn't.

ceejayoz 10y ago

Relevant: http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2013/09/17/223345977/auto-brewery-syndrome-apparently-you-can-make-beer-in-your-gut http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2013/09/17/223345977/aut... > The patient had an infection with Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Cordell says. So when he ate or drank a bunch of starch — a bagel, pasta or even a soda — the yeast fermented the sugars into ethanol, and he would get drunk. Essentially, he was brewing beer in his own gut. Cordell and McCarthy reported the case of "auto-brewery syndrome" a few months ago in the International Journal of Clinical Medicine.

dpatrick86 10y ago
Getting infected with an illicit-chemical producing variant of that might be quite inconvenient!
- M_Grey 10y ago
  Just being infected with that, and being pulled over with a high BAC would be too. Clever way to get someone out of the way too, without killing them. Who would believe a drunk driver vs. their blood test results and a video of them obviously intoxicated?

M_Grey 10y ago

You worry about that. I'll worry about someone growing a fungus or microbe strain to wipe out crops, livestock, or people.

bbernoulli 10y ago

Already exists: https://www.theguardian.com/science/2015/aug/13/yeast-cells-genetically-modified-to-create-morphine-like-painkiller https://www.theguardian.com/science/2015/aug/13/yeast-cells-...

beautifulfreak 10y ago

The pathway for cocaine synthesis is known. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/nuccore/KC140149 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/nuccore/KC140149 and https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4281001/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4281001/ I'd be surprised if drug cartels with all their money hadn't tried to modify plants or yeast to reduce their risks.

Leynos 10y ago

When you mentioned "3D printed guns", it brought to mind the yeast strain in the novel "Rule 34" modified to synthesize spider silk for use in garden shed weapon factories. :)

88e282102ae2e5b 10y ago

> Every time I see an article like this I wonder why it hasn't already happened Evolution, unfortunately, ruins all the fun. Producing all those proteins to make your drug of choice puts a large burden on the cells - any of them that lose those genes to mutations in the DNA will be able to grow slightly faster and eventually take over the entire culture.