Team:Valencia Biocampus/Ethics

From 2012.igem.org

(Difference between revisions)
 
(39 intermediate revisions not shown)
Line 15: Line 15:
-
Our project consists of talking with microorganisms. But… what would happen if they <b><i>lied</i></b> to us? Not consciously, of course, but mutants who give different answers to the same question could be evolutionarily favoured in a bacterial culture.  Our Human Practices team analyzed this and other situations.  
+
In the "Talking life" project we did not only want to speak with bacteria, but we also wanted to speak with humans! The HP practices team identified some ethical and social issues that were relevant to our project. We wanted to
-
 
+
communicate such issues and discuss them with a broader peer community, with scientists and other citizens. We made a movie that we used as a vehicle to communicate those issues and to trigger public debate. Slide along the timeline to know the steps we followed in the course of our HP exercise:
-
What if this talking technology was used in everyday devices and they lied? How would people react to this? Should the blame be given to companies developing those devices? How frequently would mutants appear? Imagine that this technology was <b><i>hackeable</i></b>. What ethical issues would arise?
+
<br><br>
-
 
+
-
Our Human Practices section plays a central and integrated role in our iGEM project. Not only did we explore ethical concerns of our activity, but also we coordinated our work in the lab to see how real our predictions were. We addressed the questions above in three ways:
+
-
<ul>
+
-
<li>We decided to shoot a short film about those situations (link) and show it to different audiences. We then analyzed their comments and response to the short film.
+
-
<li>Together with the modeling team, we tried to predict how often those <b><i>liars</i></b> or <b><i>cheaters</i></b> would appear in cultures, studying the “cheaters’” dynamics.
+
-
<li>In the lab, we studied cheaters against the original culture, comparing their fitness.
+
-
</ul>
+
-
Follow us through our journey by hovering over our kind microorganisms:   
+
-
 
+
-
 
+
<html>
<html>
<object classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=4,0,2,0" width="700" height="700" align="middle">
<object classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=4,0,2,0" width="700" height="700" align="middle">
 +
<param name=wmode value="transparent">
<param name=movie value="https://static.igem.org/mediawiki/2012/6/6b/Timeline_HP.swf">
<param name=movie value="https://static.igem.org/mediawiki/2012/6/6b/Timeline_HP.swf">
<param name=quality value=high>
<param name=quality value=high>
-
<embed src="https://static.igem.org/mediawiki/2012/6/6b/Timeline_HP.swf" quality=high pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/shockwave/download/index.cgi?P1_Prod_Version=ShockwaveFlash" t0"application/x-shockwave-flash" width="800" height="800" align="middle">
+
<embed src="https://static.igem.org/mediawiki/2012/6/6b/Timeline_HP.swf" wmode=transparent quality=high pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/shockwave/download/index.cgi?P1_Prod_Version=ShockwaveFlash" t0"application/x-shockwave-flash" width="800" height="800" align="middle">
</embed>
</embed>
</object>  
</object>  
</html>
</html>
-
<br><br>
+
<br>
-
Click here to watch the 10 min film written, acted and debated by us. Based on real ethical concerns but in the form of a fictional story. We envisaged a possible future application for our talking bacterial cultures and we used the movie as a vehicle for reflection and to trigger debate. The movie initiates debate around three ethical issues: Could we use talking bacteria to care for others? Who should own living technologies? If bacteria can speak, can they also mislead us?<br><br>
+
If you are fond of our work on Human Practices, download our Ethical issues diary <html><a href="https://static.igem.org/mediawiki/2012/5/50/Hp_diary.pdf"target="_blank"><b>here</b></a></html>!<br><br>
 +
 
<h2>Talking Life</h2>
<h2>Talking Life</h2>
 +
 +
Click here to watch the 10 minute film that we made in collaboration with Artefactando. We also acted in the movie and used it in our debates. Based on real ethical concerns but in the form of a fictional story. We envisaged a possible future applications for our talking bacterial cultures and we used the movie to generate debate. The movie initiates debate around three ethical issues: Could we use talking bacteria to care for others? Who should own living technologies? If bacteria can speak, can they also lie?<br>
<br>
<br>
<html>
<html>
Line 45: Line 39:
</center>
</center>
</html>
</html>
-
<br>
+
<br><br>
 +
<div id="PorDefecto">
 +
<br>The film was projected and debated five times:
 +
<b><html><a href="https://static.igem.org/mediawiki/2012/3/35/DEBATE_BANYULS_DD.pdf" target="blank" style="color:#0000FF">(1)</a><html/></b> France (Banyuls) to an audience of scientific European students, <b><html><a href="https://static.igem.org/mediawiki/2012/d/d8/DEBATE_BERGEN_DD.pdf" target="blank" style="color:#0000FF">(2)</a><html/></b> Norway (Bergen), in front of a group of sociologists and ethics, <b><html><a href="https://static.igem.org/mediawiki/2012/3/39/Debate_barcelona_DD.pdf" target="blank" style="color:#0000FF">(3)</a><html/></b> Barcelona, to a heterogeneous group of students and workers, <b><html><a href="https://static.igem.org/mediawiki/2012/8/85/Debate_octubre_DD.pdf" target="blank" style="color:#0000FF">(4)</a><html/></b> Valencia, in the cultural center named “Octubre” to a scientific public from professors and doctors to undergraduate students, and <b><html><a href="https://static.igem.org/mediawiki/2012/8/86/Sala_darwin.pdf" target="blank" style="color:#0000FF">(5)</a><html/></b> in the scientific Campus of University of Valencia to a wide biology-related student audience. <br><br>If you are interested in how we did it or you want to know about the main ideas debated click in the different links that you can find above. To know more about other non-planned ethical aspects that came out to debate click <b><html><a href="https://static.igem.org/mediawiki/2012/f/ff/Non-intendedHP_DD.pdf" target="blank" style="color:#0000FF">here</a><html/></b>.<br><br>
 +
Below you can find the <html><a href="https://static.igem.org/mediawiki/2012/d/d1/General_Analysis.pdf"> general analysis </a></html> and conclusions we came up with from the five debates:  <br><br>
 +
 +
 
 +
 
 +
 
 +
<html><center><a href="https://static.igem.org/mediawiki/2012/d/d1/General_Analysis.pdf"> <html>
 +
<img src="https://static.igem.org/mediawiki/2012/4/46/Preview_analisis.png" height="450" width="500"></a></center>
 +
</html>
 +
 
 +
 
 +
<html><center>
 +
<object width="400" height="300"> <param name="flashvars" value="offsite=true&lang=es-us&page_show_url=%2Fphotos%2F87678757%40N07%2Fsets%2F72157631629162705%2Fshow%2F&page_show_back_url=%2Fphotos%2F87678757%40N07%2Fsets%2F72157631629162705%2F&set_id=72157631629162705&jump_to="></param> <param name="movie" value="http://www.flickr.com/apps/slideshow/show.swf?v=109615"></param> <param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://www.flickr.com/apps/slideshow/show.swf?v=109615" allowFullScreen="true" flashvars="offsite=true&lang=es-us&page_show_url=%2Fphotos%2F87678757%40N07%2Fsets%2F72157631629162705%2Fshow%2F&page_show_back_url=%2Fphotos%2F87678757%40N07%2Fsets%2F72157631629162705%2F&set_id=72157631629162705&jump_to=" width="400" height="300"></embed></object>
 +
</center>
 +
</html>
 +
 
 +
 
 +
 
 +
<h2>Integrated HP: Lying bacteria? </h2>
 +
 
 +
Since our project consists of talking with microorganisms, we asked ourselves the question “what would happen if they lied to us?” Not consciously, of course, but mutants who give different answers to the same question could be evolutionarily favored in a bacterial culture. Our HP team addressed this issue in an integrated fashion: both in public debates and in the lab.
 +
 
 +
Our Human Practices team and topics play a central and integrated role in our iGEM project. Not only did we explore ethical concerns of our activity, but also we coordinated our work in the lab to test our “lying bacteria” vision. We addressed the questions above in two ways:<br><br>
 +
 
 +
<div id="PorDefecto">
 +
<br><br>
 +
1. Debating: We decided to shoot a short film to give insight and a jumping off point to our integrated vision. We discussed it with different audiences in public debates in three different European countries. We then analyzed their comments and response to the short film. We wanted to discuss ethical issues such as: What if this talking technology was used in everyday devices and they lied? How would people react to this? Should the blame be given to companies developing those devices? How frequently would mutants appear? Imagine that this technology was hackable. What ethical issues would arise?<br><br>
 +
 
 +
2. <html><b><a href="https://2012.igem.org/Team:Valencia_Biocampus/modhp" style="color:#0000FF">Modeling and wetlab</a></b><html/>: Together with the modeling team, we carried out experiments in the wetlab to predict how often those liars or cheaters would appear in cultures and compared the fitness of cheaters against the original culture. 
-
If you are fond of our work on Human Practices, download our Ethical issues diary <html><a href="https://static.igem.org/mediawiki/2012/8/88/Text_HP.pdf"><b>here</b></a></html>!<br>
 
</div>
</div>

Latest revision as of 23:07, 26 September 2012



Human Practices



In the "Talking life" project we did not only want to speak with bacteria, but we also wanted to speak with humans! The HP practices team identified some ethical and social issues that were relevant to our project. We wanted to communicate such issues and discuss them with a broader peer community, with scientists and other citizens. We made a movie that we used as a vehicle to communicate those issues and to trigger public debate. Slide along the timeline to know the steps we followed in the course of our HP exercise:


If you are fond of our work on Human Practices, download our Ethical issues diary here!

Talking Life

Click here to watch the 10 minute film that we made in collaboration with Artefactando. We also acted in the movie and used it in our debates. Based on real ethical concerns but in the form of a fictional story. We envisaged a possible future applications for our talking bacterial cultures and we used the movie to generate debate. The movie initiates debate around three ethical issues: Could we use talking bacteria to care for others? Who should own living technologies? If bacteria can speak, can they also lie?




The film was projected and debated five times: (1) France (Banyuls) to an audience of scientific European students, (2) Norway (Bergen), in front of a group of sociologists and ethics, (3) Barcelona, to a heterogeneous group of students and workers, (4) Valencia, in the cultural center named “Octubre” to a scientific public from professors and doctors to undergraduate students, and (5) in the scientific Campus of University of Valencia to a wide biology-related student audience.

If you are interested in how we did it or you want to know about the main ideas debated click in the different links that you can find above. To know more about other non-planned ethical aspects that came out to debate click here.

Below you can find the general analysis and conclusions we came up with from the five debates:





Integrated HP: Lying bacteria?

Since our project consists of talking with microorganisms, we asked ourselves the question “what would happen if they lied to us?” Not consciously, of course, but mutants who give different answers to the same question could be evolutionarily favored in a bacterial culture. Our HP team addressed this issue in an integrated fashion: both in public debates and in the lab.

Our Human Practices team and topics play a central and integrated role in our iGEM project. Not only did we explore ethical concerns of our activity, but also we coordinated our work in the lab to test our “lying bacteria” vision. We addressed the questions above in two ways:



1. Debating: We decided to shoot a short film to give insight and a jumping off point to our integrated vision. We discussed it with different audiences in public debates in three different European countries. We then analyzed their comments and response to the short film. We wanted to discuss ethical issues such as: What if this talking technology was used in everyday devices and they lied? How would people react to this? Should the blame be given to companies developing those devices? How frequently would mutants appear? Imagine that this technology was hackable. What ethical issues would arise?

2. Modeling and wetlab: Together with the modeling team, we carried out experiments in the wetlab to predict how often those liars or cheaters would appear in cultures and compared the fitness of cheaters against the original culture.