Close Menu
Technology Mag

    Subscribe to Updates

    Get the latest creative news from FooBar about art, design and business.

    What's Hot

    MacBook Pro rumor points to OLED, touchscreen upgrades next year

    October 16, 2025

    Amazon shares a ‘first look’ at new nuclear facility

    October 16, 2025

    A New Attack Lets Hackers Steal 2-Factor Authentication Codes From Android Phones

    October 16, 2025
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
    Subscribe
    Technology Mag
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram YouTube
    • Home
    • News
    • Business
    • Games
    • Gear
    • Reviews
    • Science
    • Security
    • Trending
    • Press Release
    Technology Mag
    Home » The US Is Cracking Down on Synthetic DNA
    Science

    The US Is Cracking Down on Synthetic DNA

    News RoomBy News RoomMay 11, 20243 Mins Read
    Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Reddit WhatsApp Email

    The White House has issued new rules aimed at companies that manufacture synthetic DNA after years of warnings that a pathogen made with mail-order genetic material could accidentally or intentionally spark the next pandemic.

    The rules, released on April 29, are the result of an executive order signed by President Joe Biden last fall to establish new standards for AI safety and security, including AI applied to biotechnology.

    Artificially generated DNA allows researchers to do all sorts of things—develop diagnostic tests, make beneficial enzymes to eat up plastic, or engineer potent antibodies to treat disease—without having to extract natural sequences from organisms. Need to study a rare type of bacteria? Instead of going out into the field to collect a sample, its genetic sequence can simply be ordered from a DNA synthesis company instead.

    Synthesizing DNA has been possible for decades, but it’s become increasingly easier, cheaper, and faster to do so in recent years thanks to new technology that can “print” custom gene sequences. Now, dozens of companies around the world make and ship synthetic nucleic acids en masse. And with AI, it’s becoming possible to create entirely new sequences that don’t exist in nature—including those that could pose a threat to humans or other living things.

    “The concern has been for some time that as gene synthesis has gotten better and cheaper, and as more companies appear and more technologies streamline the synthesis of nucleic acids, that it is possible to de novo create organisms, particularly viruses,” says Tom Inglesby, an epidemiologist and director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security.

    It’s conceivable that a bad actor could make a dangerous virus from scratch by ordering its genetic building blocks and assembling them into a whole pathogen. In 2017, Canadian researchers revealed they had reconstructed the extinct horsepox virus for $100,000 using mail-order DNA, raising the possibility that the same could be done for smallpox, a deadly disease that was eradicated in 1980.

    The new rules aim to prevent a similar scenario. It asks DNA manufacturers to screen purchase orders to flag so-called sequences of concern and assess customer legitimacy. Sequences of concern are those that contribute to an organism’s toxicity or ability to cause disease. For now, the rules only apply to scientists or companies that receive federal funding: They must order synthetic nucleic acids from providers that implement these practices.

    Inglesby says it’s still a “big step forward” since about three-quarters of the US customer base for synthetic DNA are federally funded entities. But it means that scientists or organizations with private sources of funding aren’t beholden to using companies with these screening procedures.

    Many DNA providers already follow screening guidelines issued by the Department of Health and Human Services in 2010. About 80 percent of the industry has joined the International Gene Synthesis Consortium, which pledges to vet orders. But these measures are both voluntary, and not all companies comply.

    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn WhatsApp Reddit Email
    Previous ArticleThe Amazon-backed Matter Casting standard has plenty of potential, but too few players
    Next Article A (Strange) Interview With the Russian-Military-Linked Hackers Targeting US Water Utilities

    Related Posts

    Taking These 50 Objects Out of Orbit Would Cut Danger From Space Junk in Half

    October 14, 2025

    The Mystery of How Quasicrystals Form

    October 14, 2025

    Europe Pledges $600 Million for Clean Energy Projects in Africa

    October 13, 2025

    5 More Physics Equations Everyone Should Know

    October 13, 2025

    Scientist Who Was Offline ‘Living His Best Life’ Stunned by Nobel Prize Win

    October 12, 2025

    Chaos, Confusion, and Conspiracies: Inside a Facebook Group for RFK Jr.’s Autism ‘Cure’

    October 11, 2025
    Our Picks

    Amazon shares a ‘first look’ at new nuclear facility

    October 16, 2025

    A New Attack Lets Hackers Steal 2-Factor Authentication Codes From Android Phones

    October 16, 2025

    Apple TV and Peacock announce a discounted $15 monthly subscription bundle

    October 16, 2025

    Pinterest’s ‘tuner’ lets you dial down the amount of AI content — but not entirely

    October 16, 2025
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Pinterest
    • Instagram
    • YouTube
    • Vimeo
    Don't Miss
    News

    Ugreen’s 8-port Thunderbolt 4 hub is $80 off

    By News RoomOctober 16, 2025

    If your laptop doesn’t have enough ports, you can fix that issue with Ugreen’s Revodok…

    OnePlus’ OxygenOS 16 brings Gemini into your Mind Space

    October 16, 2025

    A Plan to Rebuild Gaza Lists Nearly 30 Companies. Many Say They’re Not Involved

    October 16, 2025

    Meta is building a smart TV — in VR

    October 16, 2025
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram Pinterest
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms of use
    • Advertise
    • Contact
    © 2025 Technology Mag. All Rights Reserved.

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.