Scientists are moving closer to creating entirely new forms of life in the laboratory. 

Researchers at Stanford University in California have used AI to design an entirely novel virus, named Evo–Φ2147. In the experiment, the AI-designed virus targeted E. coli bacteria, creating clear patches across petri dishes as it wiped out the colonies.

While Evo-Φ2147 is not fully alive as it cannot reproduce outside a host and carries only 11 genes compared with roughly 20,000 in humans, scientists say the experiment demonstrates that entire genomes, the complete set of DNA found in an organism, can now be designed from scratch.

Scientists suggest that the same techniques could one day be used to create entirely new organisms or even bring long-extinct species back to life.

British molecular biologist and tech entrepreneur Adrian Woolfson described the achievement as “a massive, consequential moment.”

He said it signals a move from “a Darwinian world into a post-Darwinian landscape” where life can be authored, rather than simply inherited.

“For the last four billion years evolution has been blind – there has been no foresight, there has been no intentionality… This is not speculation. It’s not futuristic, it is happening,” Woolfson added.

While the new scientific innovations are groundbreaking, Woolfson said they carry security concerns that demand “responsibility.”

He noted that the Evo2 model was not trained on viruses pathogenic to humans.

“Humankind needs to decide who is going to define the guard rails. Who is going to decide what gets written? Who’s going to decide on the governance? Society needs to know this is happening, so people can have these conversations.” Woolfson said.