Contributor(s): Dr Phillip Campbell, Professor Paul Freemont, Professor Richard Kitney, Professor Nikolas Rose, Hugh Whittall, Dr James Wilsdon | Bioengineers are trying to create synthetic organisms that do not occur naturally. Is this an amazing scientific feat or something we should be worried about? Phillip Campbell is editor in chief of Nature. Paul Freemont and Richard Kitney are co-directors of the EPSRC Centre for Synthetic Biology, Imperial College. Nikolas Rose is director of the BIOS Centre at LSE. Hugh Whittall is director of the Nuffield Council on Bioethics. James Wilsdon is director of the Science Policy Centre at the Royal Society.