How synthetic biology can improve our health, food and materials | Emily Leproust

Transcriber:

翻译人员: 校对人员: Helen Chang

You probably don't think about it,

你可能从未意识到，

but every day nature is trying to kill you.

大自然每天都在试图消灭人类。

We as humans place constant pressure on our natural world.

人类给大自然带来了持续的压力。

And in response, nature fights back to balance the scales.

大自然则会作出回应。

Nature has been adapting and reacting to the presence of human developments,

就像人类适应自然环境一样，

just like we've been adapting and reacting to nature.

大自然也在适应人类的存在， 并且做出反应。

And nature is telling us we are on an unsustainable path.

自然的回应正在告诉我们：

人来正走在一条 不可持续发展的道路上。

It is time to course correct.

是时候做出改变了。

This does not mean abandoning technology,

这并不意味着放弃已有的科技，

but it means harnessing the power of biology itself

我们需要利用生物技术的力量

to reconcile the creature comforts of human civilization

来使人类的目标与自然

with the natural world.

达成一致。

Some of you may be thinking, "but I recycle" or "I don't eat meat"

你或许在想 “我回收垃圾”或“我不吃肉”

or “I take the bus” or “I grow my own food.”

或“我乘坐公共交通” 或“我吃自己种的食物”。

And in fact, you may be doing your part to live sustainably.

你个人的生活方式或许有可持续性。

And if you do, good for you.

如果这是真的话，那确实值得赞扬。

In my view, though, it's impossible to exclusively rely

但是我认为 人类所需要做出的改变

on an individual effort to make the changes we need.

不能仅仅依靠个人的努力。

We have to make the changes at the global scale

我们需要在全球范围上做出努力，

to truly make a difference,

从而真正的做出改变。

and that requires rethinking

这则需要深思顾虑

what modern global sustainability looks like

现代全球可持续发展是什么

and a new kind of environmentalism.

以及新时代环境保护论意味着什么。

To be clear, when I talk about sustainability,

环境保护是可持续发展中重要的一环。

it's not just about the environment.

但是，可持续发展

While it's an important piece,

不仅仅是指环境保护。

sustainability is about much more.

还有很多因素需要考虑。

Modern sustainability is the integration of the environment,

现代可持续化发展是融合，

是环境、群众和经济的融合。

people and the economy.

Each of them is needed to thrive.

这三者每个都要被充分考虑。

You cannot have one without the other.

并且离不开彼此。

Therefore, the practice of sustainability recognizes

因此，我们需要意识到

that everything is connected and requires a different approach.

可持续化发展与万物息息相关 并且需要一种新的实施方式。

So do we both individually and collectively

那么我们是否需要 在个人层面和群体层面上

change what we're doing today?

做出改变呢？

I believe that technology and innovation,

我认为科技和创新，

specifically biological innovation,

尤其是生物技术的创新，

is the key to answering that question.

是回答这个问题的关键。

Biological innovation will enable harmonious coexistence with nature

生物技术的创新 使得现代以及未来的人

for humans today and in future generations,

在享受期待中的生活的同时

while still enjoying all of the creature comforts

与自然和谐共存。

we've come to expect.

与自然和谐共存。

If we do it at the global scale, we will get back in balance with nature,

如果我们能够在全球范围上做出改变， 人类将会重新与自然达成平衡。

which will be great for humanity

这对人类有很大的好处。

and will also improve the health of the planet.

并且同时改善生态环境。

So how do we do that?

所以我们该怎么做？

The answer is synthetic biology.

答案是合成生物学。

Now, some of you may be thinking, "Synthetic biology?

有些人或许会想， “合成生物学？

That sounds like an oxymoron at best and dangerous at worst."

这听起来充其量是矛盾的 甚至是危险的。”

How can something biological, which is based on nature,

以自然为基础的生物物质怎么可能

also be synthetic, which implies not natural at all?

同时也是合成的， 意味着它根本不天然呢？

Well, synthetic biology is the engineering of nature

合成生物学是对自然物质做出人工修改

to benefit society.

从而改善社会。

The core component of synthetic biology is my favorite molecule, DNA.

我最喜欢的分子：DNA， 是合成生物学的核心。

DNA is the code of life on Earth.

DNA是地球上生物的源码。

It contains all the instructions for animals, plants, humans, microbes,

DNA是动物、植物、人类、微生物、

bacteria, fungi and so much more.

细菌、真菌等的蓝图。

By embracing the power of DNA,

通过利用DNA，

we will be able to achieve both comfort and sustainability.

人类可以舒服地走上 可持续发展的道路。

Over the last millennia,

在过去的一千年，

our ancestors have pursued this in basic ways, for instance,

我们的祖先曾试图用基础的方法 来实现这个想法。

by improving milk production from cows

像是改善母牛的牛奶产量，

and making a wild grass called teosinte

或是把曾经的野草：类蜀黍，

into edible corn.

变为可食用的玉米

But it took thousands of years.

但是这些过程持续了上千年。

Over the last 70 years, what our ancestors did in the field,

在过去的70年里，

我们开始在实验室里开展基因工程，

without even knowing they were doing genetic engineering,

we started doing in laboratories.

重复祖先们无意中做的事。

And as a consequence, we now have the scientific knowledge

我们现在拥有足够的理论知识

and technological know-how

和技术

to harness the power of DNA for the better.

来更好地利用DNA。

A true biological revolution.

这是一个生物学革命般的进步。

So how can DNA and synthetic biology help?

那么我们应该怎样 利用DNA和合成生物学？

Well, we can affect change in three critical areas:

我们能在三个方面做出改变：

health, food and materials.

医疗，食物以及材料。

In health, an early health and economic success

在健康方面，早期的健康和经济成功

is recombinant injectable insulin to alleviate diabetes,

是注射人工合成的胰岛素 以缓解糖尿病，

a disease that affects 463 million people worldwide.

这病在全球影响4.6亿人。

Today, we can make insulin

我们可以使用酵母或者细菌

from either yeast or bacteria,

来人工合成胰岛素，

instead of extracting it from the pancreas of pigs and cows.

不再需要从猪或者牛的胰脏里提取。

This allows for the massive production of insulin

这种新方法以低成本量产胰岛素，

at a fraction of the cost and without killing pigs and cows.

并且不需要伤害牛和猪。

This means that there are no longer any factory farms needed

这也意味着人类不再需要 以工厂的方式运营农场，

to put insulin on your pharmacy shelf.

来制作胰岛素。

Today, using the power of genetics,

通过利用基因工程，

we can reduce or even eliminate mosquito-borne diseases,

我们可以减少，甚至灭绝 蚊子传播的疾病，

such as malaria, Zika, and even treat dengue with gene drives.

比如疟疾、寨卡病毒， 同理也可以治疗登革热。

We are doing this by harnessing mosquitoes' own genetics to wipe them out.

具体实现方法为提取文字的基因， 并对其做出修改，移除相关段落。

It's becoming a reality to correct defective genes

使用基因工程来治疗 遗传的基因缺陷已成为现实。

in patients with inherited diseases,

使用基因工程来治疗 遗传的基因缺陷已成为现实。

such as severe combined immunodeficiency,

比如严重复合型免疫缺乏症，

you may know it as the bubble boy syndrome,

这也是那位活在气泡中的男孩所得的病。

and sickle cell anemia.

镰刀型红血球疾病也可以被治愈。

We can diagnose disease faster and more cost-effectively

通过读写DNA段落也可以更加快速

by writing and reading DNA.

高效的做出诊断，

And already we can add pieces of DNA in the cell of the immune system

我们也可以把DNA段落加入免疫细胞中，

to identify and kill cancer cells in patients.

来帮助它们识别，并且清除癌细胞。

Thanks to advances like this,

得益于这样的技术创新，

in the future, even terminal cancer will become chronic diseases.

在未来，晚期癌症也能变为慢性疾病。

One major change that is enabling these incredible advances

这些方法都得益于一项重要的创新：

is the ability to read

大范围读写DNA的能力。

and more importantly to write DNA at scale.

大范围读写DNA的能力。

Over the last 20 years,

在过去的20年里，

the price of writing one base pair of DNA

修改一个碱基对的价格

has dropped from 10 dollars to nine cents,

从10美元降到了9美分，

more than a hundredfold decrease,

降低了不止100倍，

drastically reducing cost and unleashing the imagination of scientists worldwide.

大大地降低成本，

实现了世界各地科学家们的想象。

This ability to write DNA at scale also impacts food and material.

大量修改DNA的技术 对食物生产和材料制作也有影响。

So speaking of food, DNA-based synthetic biology techniques today

在食物生产领域， 修改DNA的合成生物学技术

can engineer bacteria to deliver nitrogen at the root of plants,

可以通过编辑细菌的DNA 来给植物的根部提供氮元素，

eliminating the need for fertilizers,

从而不再需要化肥。

which you may or may not know are produced from either coal

你或许不知道， 化肥是通过使用煤炭

or natural gas that is extracted from the ground.

或者自然气来生产的。

That is a triple win:

这可以被称为“三赢”：

more food, lower food cost

更多的食物，更低的价格，

and no need to extract fossil fuel from the ground to grow food.

以及不再需要使用化石燃料。

While this may seem futuristic,

尽管这听起来不现实，

companies are working on it now, with field-testing already underway.

有些公司已经开始研发相关技术， 并已开展实地实验。

We can control crop-destroying pests using environmentally-friendly methods,

我们也可以使用环保的方式控制害虫，

essentially using the bugs' own scent

通过利用昆虫本身的气味，

to prevent them from mating and laying eggs,

来阻止它们繁殖，产卵。

while also protecting birds, bees and other animals.

同时也能够保护鸟、蜜蜂 以及其它动物。

These methods are expensive today, but costs will come down.

这些方法目前比较昂贵， 但价格会在未来降低。

We can protect bananas and papayas today,

我们已经可以保护香蕉和番木瓜，

two crops that are threatened by deadly pathogens.

两种被致命的病原体所威胁的植物。

By engineering them to be resistant to this pathogen,

通过修改它们的DNA， 让它们免疫这些病原体，

we can ensure that commercial scale production continues.

同时保证持续商业量产。

It is true for bananas and papaya,

这不仅仅是针对香蕉和番木瓜，

but it's also true for many other plants

同样的方法也可以实施在其它植物上，

that are coming under similar attack from nature.

其它受到相似压力的植物。

Third. Let's talk about material.

我们来讲讲第三个领域，材料。

Everything we touch today comes from oil

目前我们所接触的所有东西 都来自石油，

or natural gas extracted from the ground,

或者从地里提取的自然气，

and that is just unsustainable.

这明显是不可持续的。

And we can do better using fermentation.

我们可以利用发酵过程来做出改善。

We all know about fermentation.

大家都听说过发酵。

You feed sugar to yeast and it gets bigger.

酵母会在有糖的环境下长大。

Or, in France, where I come from, we call it champagne.

或者，作为一名法国人， 我们管这叫香槟。

Today, by using the same cells, like yeast, algae and bacteria,

我们可以通过修改这些细胞， 如酵母菌、水藻，以及细菌

you can engineer them to ferment sugar or other biomass to produce chemicals.

来消耗糖或其它能量分子， 合成化合物。

These tiny cells are the equivalent

这些微小的细胞

就如同无比高效的生产机器。

of exceptionally efficient manufacturing facilities.

And it's amazing.

令人震惊。

You can make the same chemicals that are made from oil

我们可以用这种方式 生产那些使用石油生产的化合物。

and you couldn't tell the difference.

并且两种方式的产物毫无区别。

That includes directly producing plastic, flavor, fragrances,

这意味这我们可以直接生产 塑料、味精、香水、

sweetener and so much more.

甜味剂，以及更多分子。

For instance,

比如，

the production process to make blue dye

制造牛仔裤所需的蓝色染料

used in the fabrication of blue jeans,

需要以一种极为不环保的方式生产

is a massive polluter of the environment.

需要以一种极为不环保的方式生产

Through fermentation, you can make the same dye much cheaper

通过微生物发酵，我们可以用一种 更为便宜的方式生产同样的染料

and without the environmental impact.

同时环保。

That is guilt-free jeans.

这就是新时代牛仔裤。

Another method we use to produce chemicals to enable our comfortable life

另一种生产对人类有益的化合物的方法

is to extract them from nature.

则是从大自然中提取。

And that is also unsustainable.

这也是不可持续的。

For instance, squalene is a key ingredient of moisturizer.

比如，鲨烯是润肤露的重要成分。

And I get it.

我也理解，

We all want bright, beautiful hydrated skin.

大家都想要好看、 健康、湿润的皮肤。

But did you know that shark livers is a major source of squalene?

但是你知道鲨烯是从 鲨鱼的肝脏里提取的吗？

Sharks are apex predators

鲨鱼是顶级猎食者，

and a critical component of our ocean ecology.

海洋生态中重要的生物。

So using sharks to make face cream just doesn't make sense.

用鲨鱼来制作润肤露明显是不合理的。

Instead, we can now make squalene by fermentation of cane sugar,

我们现在可以发酵甘蔗来制造鲨烯，

and it's even available on Amazon.

该产品甚至已经上线亚马逊。

I'm not just talking about replacing current materials

这不仅仅是用可持续的方法来生产

with more sustainable ones.

已有的材料。

We are talking about making better chemicals

这是一种生产更好的材料的方法，

that you could never make from oil

生产无法用石油制造的材料。

and that will change your life in the future.

这会改变人类未来的生活。

For instance, spider silk is an amazing material.

举个例子，蜘蛛丝是一种 令人叹为观止的材料。

It's way stronger than steel and super light.

它比钢铁还要强硬，并且更轻。

The problem is that you cannot make spider silk from oil

问题是我们不能使用石油 来制造蜘蛛丝，

and you cannot farm spiders.

也不能建立“蜘蛛农场”。

You put a million spiders in a room.

如果你把一百万只蜘蛛 放在一个房间里，

You come back a week later, you get one spider, they eat each other.

一周后，房间里就只剩一只蜘蛛了， 蜘蛛会自相残杀。

By using synthetic biology,

通过使用合成生物学，

we will be able to produce spider silk at commercial scale

我们可以商业化量产蜘蛛丝，

and avoid spider-on-spider violence.

并且避免蜘蛛互相残杀。

In the future planes and maybe even flying cars

未来的飞机，甚至或许飞车，

will be made by synthetic spider silk instead of carbon composite material.

可以用人工合成的蜘蛛丝来生产， 而不是碳复合材料。

They'll be stronger, lighter and use less fuel.

这些载具会更牢固、更轻， 并且消耗更少的燃料。

So this all sounds fantastic, but it gets better.

不仅如此，从经济学角度考虑，

It also makes economic sense.

这样的方法也更合理。

Yes, synthetic biology will give us health,

没错，合成生物学 可以给人类带来健康、

sustainable food and sustainable material,

可持续食物和可持续材料，

but it's also a lot cheaper.

同时降低价格。

And let's be honest, a lot of people do not care about the environment,

尽管有人根本不在乎环境保护，

but everybody loves a deal.

但是大家都喜欢折扣。

So we humans

人类可以因此

get health, food and materials at a lower cost

以更低的价格得到健康、 食物和材料。

and nature gets sustainability for free.

同时保护环境。

And an additional bonus is all the millions of jobs

一个额外的好处是 现代可持续化发展

that will be created through this modern vision of sustainability.

所带来的成千上万的新工作。

These are not menial jobs.

这些工作并不是没有意义的，

These new jobs will be dignified and meaningful,

而是受尊重的、重要的，

and they'll be spread globally

全球都将会需要这些岗位。

to ensure that humans live more virtuously in nature.

从而保证人类能够 在自然中尊贵地活着。

So synthetic biology is the key to making civilization sustainable

所以，合成生物学是 让人类文明可持续的关键，

and will also prevent nature from killing you too.

并且也可以保护自然环境。

In conclusion, we don't have to choose between either human benefits or nature.

总而言之，人类不需要在 利益和自然保护中做出选择，

We can move towards balance and have both in harmony.

两者可以和谐共存。

It's not that we could do it, it is that we should do it.

这并不仅仅是说我们有能力实现， 而是我们应该实现这些技术。

We have a moral imperative to do so.

道德驱使人类走向这条道路。

Thank you.

谢谢聆听。