Team:Valencia Biocampus/Ethics

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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.  
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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
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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:
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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?
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<br><br>
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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:
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<ul>
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<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.
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<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.
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<li>In the lab, we studied cheaters against the original culture, comparing their fitness.
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</ul>
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Follow us through our journey by hovering over our kind microorganisms:   
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<b>14/03/12. Started mailing.</b>
 
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We started to discuss the aim of the human practices team and its role in iGEM projects.
 
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<b>23/03/12. Skype meeting with Ana and Dorothy:</b>
 
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Brainstorming ethical issues.
 
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We came up with the idea of shooting a short film.
 
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<ol>
 
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        <li> The movie is a 'medium' to do ethics. So, the first thing you would need to do is to decide which ethical issue(s) is important for you.
 
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        <li> Then, you will have to decide what story is best to articulate that ethical issue(s)
 
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        <li> When you make your script, you need to have clear in your mind what the 'use' of this movie will be: are you finally going to show it to the public to trigger ethical
 
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                debate? or will you give it another use? The point is: movies are always made to address a certain audience and to cause a certain effect on those audiences, keep this
 
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                in mind!
 
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        <li> Finally, please take into consideration that this is a low-cost project: needs to be cheap and short. Cheap: like I say, the cheapest is that you use what you have that is
 
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                yourselves and what you can produce. Images retrieved from visual archives are often expensive. Timing: In my mind the movie should last between 3-7 min.
 
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</ol>
 
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<br>
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From last meeting onwards:
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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>
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<ul>
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        <li> We discussed ethical issues related to our project.
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        <li> We studied those issues and gathered information about them. Scoping exercise: it consists in scoping and mapping a number of ethical and social issues that are
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                relevant for our talking bacteria project.
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        <li> As a source of inspiration we watched several films from the Synthetic biology film festival
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        <li> Ana talked to Artefactando, who will give us a hand shooting the film.
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        <li> We are planning a meeting on 31st May (with Ana in person!) and shooting sessions on July.
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</ul>
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<h2>Talking Life</h2>
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<b>26/04/12 Skype meeting with Ana.</b>
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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>
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Aim of the meeting:
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We will discuss which are  the most relevant ethical issues that you envision in relation with your "talking bacteria project".
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We will also discuss the sources you can use to search and think of these issues.
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Finally, we will discuss how to translate those issues into a movie script.
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Ethical issues discussed:
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List of relevant issue in relation to talking bacteria project:
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<ol>
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        <li> General issues/Bioethics:
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                <ol TYPE="a">
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                        <li> biosafety (i.e. safety as related to lab practices)
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                        <li> biosecurity (uninteded consequences of biological research, i.e. bioterrorism, etc…)
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                </ol>
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        <li> Developing affective relations with your bacteria (ending up in addiction, physiological disorders, falling in love, etc..)
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        <li> Colonization: bacteria becoming superior than us and taking over humanity
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        <li> Autonomy: bacteria becoming autonomous/humans loosing autonomy
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        <li> Control: Humans loosing control/Humans creating disorder in nature, how to recover balance in nature)
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        <li> Issues related to nature/directed selection (again, autonomy/control)
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        <li> Cyborgs/Robots ethics: humans loosing their identities: what is to be human? How are cyborgs different from humans?
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        <li> Bacteria controlling human bodies and trying to imitate humans
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        <li> What is artificial/what is natural
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        <li> Bacteria can choose a human body (good looking, healthy, etc…): freedom of choice?
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        <li> Bacteria becoming superior than humans
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        <li> As bacteria become superior, issues of social segregation emerge (racism)
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        <li> Bacteria living in human bodies (cyborg) become better than humans
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        <li> Technologies will enable human-beings to transcend the limits of humanity: transhumanist ethics/Singularity)
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        <li> Non-desired effect of scientific research: bacteria become conscious and autonomous beings.  
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        <li> Non-desired effects are related to uncertainty and the fact that scientists just do their work in an automated way and they do not stop to think
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        <li> Uncertainty/non-desired effects: There are things that we do not know and things that we do not know that we do not know (known unknowns/unknowns unknowns
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        <li> Intelligent bacteria conquer the world subduing humans. They apply eugenic practices to bacteria population (selection of the best) and reverse eugenics to human
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                population (selecting the most stupid). The goal is to have total control over humans.
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        <li> This has happened because scientists cannot have an opinion: they only work in the labs, but they do not get enough freedom of expression.
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        <li> They also need more time to think about the possible implications of their projects.
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        <li> Issues related to responsibility. Who should take responsibility for a bacteria that has been designed to produce drugs?  
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        <li> Liar bacteria: someone designs a bacteria that can lie
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        <li> Issues related to monopolies and economic benefit: who will benefit from developing a talking bacteria?  
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        <li> Double use: talking bacteria is developed to do something good (i.e. cure cancer) but afterwards it is used to do something bad (to lie). 
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</ol>
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<b>17/05/12 Skype meeting with Ana. </b>
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We chose (3 or 4) relevant issues:
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<ul>
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        <li> Lose control
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        <li> Develop relations with talking cultures
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        <li> Economical interests
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</ul>
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<br>
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We described different ideas for the movie and the best way to transmit those ethical issues.
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<br><br>
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<br>The film was projected and debated five times:
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<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>
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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>
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During the following days we will write a document containing:
 
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<ul>
 
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        <li> Ethical issues
 
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        <li> Small research on them
 
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        <li> Briefing of the movie
 
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</ul>
 
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We also develop a short storyboard.
 
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<html><center><a href="https://static.igem.org/mediawiki/2012/d/d1/General_Analysis.pdf"> <html>
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<img src="https://static.igem.org/mediawiki/2012/4/46/Preview_analisis.png" height="450" width="500"></a></center>
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<b>23/05/12 Sent document to Artefactando. </b>
 
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We await for their opinion and advice.
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<b>27/05/12 Artefactando replied. </b>
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After our first attempt, we were told what aspects could be improved or are difficult to produce.
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<ul>  
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        <li> We should focus in less ethical aspects (probaly one or two) because the length of the movie limits our possibilities.
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        <li> We should try to make a more realistic film if we want people to connect with the situation.
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        <li> We shouldn't include so many locations, characters, special effects and resources in general because of our budget and time limitations.
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        <li> We should avoid wtiting dialogues
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</ul>
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In the forthcoming meeting with Ana in Valencia we will restructure the project to make it feasible. 
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<b>?/05/12 Ana met with Artefactando in Barcelona.</b>
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They discussed the project and details to deal with.
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<b>31/05/12 Meeting with Ana and Manel in Valencia.</b>
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We discussed which ethical and social issues we would try to talk about in our film and chose the following:
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<ul>
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        <li> Losing control
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        <li> Lying microorganisms
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        <li> Opensource resources
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</ul>
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We also developed a proposal for a movie in which we tried to improve the aspects commented by Artefactando.
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A document containing the new version of the project was sent to Artefactando.
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<b>01/06/12 Artefactando gave us their opinion on the new version.</b>
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We were told that the new idea is good, clear and factible. They are now working on the script and together with them, we analize details about the argument. Looking forward to reading that script!
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<b>12/06/12 The actor Alfred Picó will help us playing one of the characters.</b>
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<b>28/06/12 Artefactando sent us the first draft of the srcipt!</b>
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Great news! Today Rafa and Bar from Artefactando sent us the first draft of the script. The whole team will meet to analize it together. The first impressions are really good.
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<b>29/06/12 Two iGEM meetings in the morning. </b>
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We met in the morning (a little sleepy, but excited) to read the script together. We are glad to see that it follows our idea and that Artefactando did an awesome job solving a couple of issues and adding some interesting details.  We will send them our opinion and impressions.
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We have chosen one of our teammates from another subgroup to play one of the main characters. We think the character fits her so well! Let's see if she agrees...
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iGEM VLC_Biocampus general meeting: The whole team, from all subgroups, has met today to share their work.   
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The team is doing a great job!   
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<b>02/06/12 Tamara agreed to play “biohacker”!</b>
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We are still working on the script! Improving the scientific descriptions and trying to solve details.
 
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<b>16/06/12</b>
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<h2>Integrated HP: Lying bacteria? </h2>
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Almost everything is ready for next weekend Human Practices filming! This week we are decorating the stages.
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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.  
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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>
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<b>21-22/07/12</b>
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<div id="PorDefecto">
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<br><br>
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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>
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The short has been shot! This weekend HP team have been filming the bioethics short which will be debated once the editing is done.
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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.
</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.

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