Smelfies, and other experiments in synthetic biology | Ani Liu

Prevodilac: Mile Živković Lektor: Milenka Okuka

What if our plants

Šta kada bi naše biljke

could sense the toxicity levels in the soil

mogle da osete nivo toksina u zemljištu

and express that toxicity through the color of its leaves?

i izraze taj nivo putem boje svog lišća?

What if those plants could also remove those toxins from the soil?

Šta kada bi te biljke mogle i da uklone te toksine iz tla?

Instead, what if those plants

A šta kada bi one mogle

grew their own packaging,

da proizvedu svoju ambalažu

or were designed to only be harvested

ili da se naprave tako da se beru

by their owners' own patented machines?

samo patentiranim mašinama svoga vlasnika?

What happens when biological design

Šta se desi kada biološki dizajn

is driven by the motivations of mass-produced commodities?

pokreće motivacija masovno proizvedenih dobara?

What kind of world would that be?

Kakav bi to čudan svet bio?

My name is Ani, and I'm a designer and researcher at MIT Media Lab,

Zovem se Ani i ja sam dizajnerka i istraživač u medijskoj laboratoriji MIT,

where I'm part of a relatively new and unique group called Design Fiction,

gde sam deo nove i jedinstvene grupe koja se zove Fikcija dizajna,

where we're wedged somewhere between science fiction and science fact.

a tu se bavimo nečim što je između naučne fantastike i činjenica.

And at MIT, I am lucky enough to rub shoulders with scientists

Na MIT-u imam dovoljno sreće da radim sa naučnicima

studying all kinds of cutting edge fields

koji izučavaju svakakve najnovije oblasti,

like synthetic neurobiology,

poput sintetičke neurobiologije,

artificial intelligence, artificial life

veštačke inteligencije, veštačkog života

and everything in between.

i svega ostalog sličnog tome.

And across campus, there's truly brilliant scientists

Širom kampusa, tu su zaista briljantni naučnici

asking questions like, "How can I make the world a better place?"

koji postavljaju pitanja poput onoga kako svet načiniti boljim mestom.

And part of what my group likes to ask is, "What is better?"

Deo onoga što moja grupa voli da pita je to: "Šta je bolje?"

What is better for you, for me,

Šta je bolje za vas, za mene,

for a white woman, a gay man,

za belkinju, gej muškarca,

a veteran, a child with a prosthetic?

veterana, dete sa prostetičkim udom?

Technology is never neutral.

Tehnologija nikad nije neutralna.

It frames a reality

Ona oblikuje stvarnost

and reflects a context.

i održava kontekst.

Can you imagine what it would say about the work-life balance at your office

Možete li zamisliti šta bi ovo reklo o balansu života i posla na vašem poslu

if these were standard issue on the first day?

kada bi vam od prvog dana davali ovo?

(Laughter)

(Smeh)

I believe it's the role of artists and designers

Verujem da je uloga umetnika i inženjera

to raise critical questions.

da postavljaju krucijalna pitanja.

Art is how you can see and feel the future,

Umetnost je ono kako vidite i osećate budućnost,

and today is an exciting time to be a designer,

a danas je uzbudljivo vreme da se bude dizajner,

for all the new tools becoming accessible.

uz sve nove alate koji postaju dostupni.

For instance, synthetic biology

Na primer, sintetička biologija

seeks to write biology as a design problem.

pokušava da predstavi biologiju kao problem dizajna.

And through these developments,

Kroz ove razvoje,

my lab asks, what are the roles and responsibilities

u mojoj laboratoriji se pitamo koje su uloge i odgovornosti

of an artist, designer, scientist or businessman?

umetnika, dizajnera, naučnika ili poslovnog čoveka?

What are the implications

Koje su implikacije

of synthetic biology, genetic engineering,

sintetičke biologije, genetskog inženjeringa

and how are they shaping our notions of what it means to be a human?

i kako oni oblikuju naš pojam toga šta znači biti čovek?

What are the implications of this on society, on evolution

Koje su implikacije ovoga na društvo, na evoluciju

and what are the stakes in this game?

i kakvi su sve ulozi u igri?

My own speculative design research at the current moment

Moje sopstveno spekulativno istraživanje o dizajnu trenutno

plays with synthetic biology,

tiče se sintetičke biologije,

but for more emotionally driven output.

ali za rezultate koji su više vođeni emocijama.

I'm obsessed with olfaction as a design space,

Opsednuta sam mirisom kao prostorom za dizajn,

and this project started with this idea

i ovaj proces je započeo idejom,

of what if you could take a smell selfie, a smelfie?

šta kada biste mogli da napravite selfi mirisa, smelfi?

(Laughter)

(Smeh)

What if you could take your own natural body odor

Šta kada biste mogli da snimite miris sopstvenog tela

and send it to a lover?

i pošaljete ga partneru?

Funny enough, I found that this was a 19th century Austrian tradition,

Zanimljivo je da sam otkrila da je ovo bila tradicija u Austriji u 19. veku

where couples in courtship would keep a slice of apple

kada su parovi kao deo udvaranja čuvali komadić jabuke

crammed under their armpit during dances,

ispod pazuha tokom plesa,

and at the end of the evening,

i na kraju večeri,

the girl would give the guy she most fancied her used fruit,

devojka bi voćku dala momku koji joj se najviše dopao,

and if the feeling was mutual,

i ukoliko bi to bilo obostrano,

he would wolf down that stinky apple.

on bi pojeo tu smrdjivu jabuku.

(Laughter)

(Smeh)

Famously, Napoleon wrote many love letters to Josephine,

Poznato je da je Napoleon napisao Žozefini mnogo ljubavnih pisama,

but perhaps amongst the most memorable is this brief and urgent note:

ali možda najčuvenija je njegova kratka i hitna poruka:

"Home in three days. Don't bathe."

"Kući za tri dana. Ne kupaj se."

(Laughter)

(Smeh)

Both Napoleon and Josephine adored violets.

I Napoleon i Žozefina obožavali su ljubičice.

Josephine wore violet-scented perfume,

Žozefina je nosila parfem od ljubičica,

carried violets on their wedding day,

na dan svadbe je nosila ljubičice

and Napoleon sent her a bouquet of violets

i Napoleon joj je slao buket ljubičica

every year on their anniversary.

svake godine na njihovu godišnjicu.

When Josephine passed away,

Kada je Žozefina preminula,

he planted violets at her grave,

na njenom grobu posadio je ljubičice,

and just before his exile,

i tik pre nego što je izgnan,

he went back to that tomb site,

vratio se na grobno mesto

picked some of those flowers, entombed them in a locket

i ubrao nešto od tog cveća, zatvorio ga u medaljon

and wore them until the day he died.

i nosio sa sobom do svoje smrti.

And I found this so moving,

Ovo me je tako dirnulo,

I thought, could I engineer that violet to smell just like Josephine?

pomislila sam, mogu li da napravim ljubičicu koja bi mirisala kao Žozefina?

What if, for the rest of eternity,

Šta kada bi, do kraja večnosti,

when you went to visit her site,

svaki put kada odete na njen grob,

you could smell Josephine just as Napoleon loved her?

mogli da pomirišete Žozefinu onakvu kakvu je Napoelon voleo?

Could we engineer new ways of mourning,

Da li bismo mogli da osmislimo nove načine za žaljenje,

new rituals for remembering?

nove rituale prisećanja?

After all, we've engineered transgenic crops

Ipak smo napravili transgenske useve,

to be maximized for profit,

koji su osmišljeni zbog veće zarade,

crops that stand up to transport,

useve koji odolevaju transportu,

crops that have a long shelf life,

useve koji imaju dug životni vek,

crops that taste sugary sweet but resist pests,

useve koji su slatkog ukusa ali odolevaju štetočinama,

sometimes at the expense of nutritional value.

ponekad po cenu hranljive vrednosti.

Can we harness these same technologies for an emotionally sensitive output?

Možemo li iskoristiti iste tehnologije za emotivno osetljive rezultate?

So currently in my lab,

Trenutno u mojoj laboratoriji

I'm researching questions like, what makes a human smell like a human?

izučavam pitanja poput tog zbog čega čovek miriše kao čovek?

And it turns out it's fairly complicated.

Ispostavlja se da je to prilično složeno.

Factors such as your diet, your medications, your lifestyle

Faktori poput ishrane, lekova, stila života,

all factor into the way you smell.

sve utiče na to kako mirišete.

And I found that our sweat is mostly odorless,

Otkrila sam da je znoj većinom bez mirisa,

but it's our bacteria and microbiome

ali naše bakterije i mikrobiom

that's responsible for your smells, your mood, your identity

su odgovorni za vaš miris, raspoloženje, identitet

and so much beyond.

i mnogo više toga.

And there's all kinds of molecules that you emit

Postoje razni molekuli koje ispuštate,

but which we only perceive subconsciously.

a koje primetimo samo podsvesno.

So I've been cataloging and collecting

Beležila sam i skupljala

bacteria from different sites of my body.

bakterije sa raznih mesta na svom telu.

After talking to a scientist, we thought,

Nakon razgovora s naučnikom, pomislili smo

maybe the perfect concoction of Ani

možda bi savršena mešavina Ani

is like 10 percent collarbone, 30 percent underarm,

bila 10% ključne kosti, 30% pazuha,

40 percent bikini line and so forth,

40% bikini zone i tako dalje,

and occasionally I let researchers from other labs

i ponekad bih dala istraživačima iz drugih laboratorija

take a sniff of my samples.

da pomirišu moje uzorke.

And it's been interesting to hear how smell of the body

Zanimljivo je čuti kako miris tela

is perceived outside of the context of the body.

ljudi osete van konteksta tela.

I've gotten feedback such as,

Dobila sam odgovore poput:

smells like flowers, like chicken,

miriše kao cveće, kao piletina,

like cornflakes,

kao kornfleks,

like beef carnitas.

kao goveđe meso.

(Laughter)

(Smeh)

At the same time, I cultivate a set of carnivorous plants

U isto vreme, uzgajam biljke mesožderke,

for their ability to emit fleshlike odors to attract prey,

zbog njihove sposobnosti da ispuštaju mirise nalik na meso da bi privukle plen,

in an attempt to kind of create this symbiotic relationship

kako bi pokušala da stvorim nešto nalik na simbiozu

between my bacteria and this organism.

između mojih bakterija i ovog organizma.

And as it so happens, I'm at MIT and I'm in a bar,

I tako, na MIT-u sam i u kafiću

and I was talking to a scientist

i pričam sa naučnikom

who happens to be a chemist and a plant scientist,

koji je slučajno hemičar i botaničar

and I was telling him about my project,

i pričam mu o svom projektu

and he was like, "Well, this sounds like botany for lonely women."

a on kaže: "Pa to zvuči kao botanika za usamljene žene."

(Laughter)

(Smeh)

Unperturbed, I said, "OK."

Nezabrinuta, kažem: "U redu."

I challenged him.

Izazvala sam ga.

"Can we engineer a plant that can love me back?"

"Možemo li da napravimo biljku koja će mi uzvratiti ljubav?"

And for some reason, he was like, "Sure, why not?"

Iz nekog razloga rekao je: "Naravno, zašto da ne?"

So we started with, can we get a plant to grow towards me

Počeli smo sa tim, da li možemo da nateramo biljku da raste ka meni

like I was the sun?

kao da sam ja sunce?

And so we're looking at mechanisms in plants such as phototropism,

Izučavamo mehanizme u biljkama poput fototropizma,

which causes the plant to grow towards the sun

koji tera biljke da rastu ka suncu

by producing hormones like auxin,

tako što proizvodi hormone poput auksina

which causes cell elongation on the shady side.

zbog koga ćelije rastu duže na strani biljke gde je senka.

And right now I'm creating a set of lipsticks

Trenutno pravim niz karmina

that are infused with these chemicals

koji su prožeti ovim hemikalijama

that allow me to interact with a plant on its own chemical signatures --

koje mi pružaju mogućnost da sa biljkom komuniciram kroz njene hemijske signale -

lipsticks that cause plants to grow where I kiss it,

karmini od kojih biljke rastu tamo gde ih ja poljubim,

plants that blossom where I kiss the bloom.

biljke koje cvetaju tamo gde poljubim cvet.

And through these projects,

Kroz ove projekte,

I'm asking questions like,

postavljam pitanja poput toga

how do we define nature?

kako da definišemo prirodu.

How do we define nature when we can reengineer its properties,

Kako da definišemo prirodu kada joj promenimo svojstva naukom,

and when should we do it?

i kada treba to da radimo?

Should we do it for profit, for utility?

Da li da to radimo zbog zarade, ili praktične koristi?

Can we do it for emotional ends?

Zarad emotivne koristi?

Can biotechnology be used to create work as moving as music?

Može li se biotehnologija koristiti za stvaranje dela dirljivih poput muzike?

What are the thresholds between science

Koje su granice između nauke

and its ability to shape our emotional landscape?

i njene mogućnosti da oblikuje naš emotivni pejzaž?

It's a famous design mantra that form follows function.

Čuvena je mantra dizajna da forma prati funkciju.

Well, now, wedged somewhere between science, design and art

Sada, uglavljena negde između nauke, dizajna i umetnosti,

I get to ask,

pitam se, šta ako fikcija informiše činjenice?

what if fiction informs fact?

What kind of R&D lab would that look like

Kakva bi to laboratorija bila

and what kind of questions would we ask together?

i kakva bismo pitanja zajedno postavljali?

We often look to technology as the answer,

Često u tehnologiji tražimo odgovor,

but as an artist and designer,

ali kao umetnica i dizajnerka,

I like to ask, but what is the question?

volim da se zapitam: ali šta je pitanje?

Thank you.

Hvala vam.

(Applause)

(Aplauz)