Why are laboratory-designed organisms often less able to survive in nature than naturally occurring organisms?

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synthetic biology; Mycoplasma mycoides JCVI-syn1.0 — synthetic biology A scanning electron micrograph of cells of *Mycoplasma mycoides* JCVI-syn1.0—a synthetic bacterium.

Laboratory-designed organisms are generally less capable of surviving in the wild than naturally occurring organisms because they are specifically engineered for controlled, optimized conditions within a laboratory setting.1

Naturally occurring organisms have evolved over vast periods to thrive in complex, competitive, and fluctuating environments. In contrast, synthetic organisms often lack the evolutionary history and genetic robustness required to navigate these external pressures. Furthermore, scientists often design these organisms with specific, limited functions, which can make them ill-equipped to handle the diverse challenges of the natural world, such as resource scarcity, predation, or environmental stress.1

While it is relatively straightforward to predict how a synthetic organism will behave in its intended, stable environment, it is significantly more difficult to predict how it might adapt or evolve after multiple generations of exposure to the unpredictable variables of nature.1