Engineered life forms are no longer science fiction: scientists, industrialists, and even college or high school students are now busily engaged in redesigning existing biological organisms or designing entirely new life forms from scratch. These bioengineered life forms offer humankind many potential benefits, from creating new forms of fuel to getting rid of oil spills to turning household waste into useful new materials. Nevertheless, leading scientists in the field are warning the public that the dangers inherent in this biotechnological undertaking need to be taken seriously. Our society urgently needs better instruments both for responding to the danger of naturally occurring pandemics, and for regulating the research and development of synthetic biology. Two areas of particular concern are secret military research and the rapid rise of unregulated Do-It-Yourself biohackers.