Ellen Jorgensen: Biohacking -- you can do it, too

Translator: Joseph Geni Reviewer: Morton Bast

譯者: Yow Jen Shieh 審譯者: Anny Chung

It's a great time to be a molecular biologist. (Laughter)

能夠當分子生物學家實在太讚了! (笑)

Reading and writing DNA code is getting easier

解讀和排列DNA密碼越來越簡單

and cheaper.

又便宜

By the end of this year, we'll be able to sequence

今年年底前,我們將能排列出

the three million bits of information

在你的基因組裡的

in your genome in less than a day

三百萬個片段訊息, 用不到一天的時間

and for less than 1,000 euros.

成本不到於一千歐元

Biotech is probably the most powerful

生物科技大概是目前最強大

and the fastest-growing technology sector.

成長最快速的科技領域

It has the power, potentially,

它很可能會

to replace our fossil fuels,

代替石化燃料

to revolutionize medicine,

興起藥物革命

and to touch every aspect of our daily lives.

也可以影響我們的日常生活

So who gets to do it?

那誰能參與行動?

I think we'd all be pretty comfortable with

我想大家對於這個人參與生物科技

this guy doing it.

習以為常

But what about

但這個人呢?

that guy? (Laughter)

(笑)

(Laughter)

(笑)

In 2009, I first heard about DIYbio.

2009年我頭一次聽到"生物科技DIY"

It's a movement that -- it advocates making biotechnology

它提倡讓每個人都可以接觸,運用到生物科技

accessible to everyone,

它提倡讓每個人都可以接觸,運用到生物科技

not just scientists and people in government labs.

而不是侷限於科學家或國家研究院的員工

The idea is that if you open up the science

如果你開放科學界的大門

and you allow diverse groups to participate,

讓各行各業的人們參與的話

it could really stimulate innovation.

便可以激發出創新的思維

Putting technology in the hands of the end user

把科技交給最終使用者

is usually a good idea because they've got the best idea

通常都是不錯的想法， 因為他們

of what their needs are.

最了解自己(使用者)的需求

And here's this really sophisticated technology

像生物科技這麼複雜的東西

coming down the road, all these associated

會伴隨著許多疑問

social, moral, ethical questions,

像是有關社會、道德及倫理方面的問題

and we scientists are just lousy at explaining to the public

我們這些科學家卻懶得為大眾解釋

just exactly what it is we're doing in those labs.

我們到底在實驗室裡做什麼

So wouldn't it be nice

如果在你家附近

if there was a place in your local neighborhood

有個地方歡迎你去了解生物科技

where you could go and learn about this stuff,

並親自體驗的話

do it hands-on?

那不是很棒嗎?

I thought so.

我是這麼認為的

So, three years ago, I got together

於是 3 年前我找了一些

with some friends of mine who had similar aspirations

志同道合的夥伴們

and we founded Genspace.

一起創立了 "Genspace" (基因體驗工廠)

It's a nonprofit, a community biotech lab

它是一間非營利的社區型生科實驗室

in Brooklyn, New York,

位於紐約的布魯克林區

and the idea was people could come,

人們可以到那裏去

they could take classes and putter around in the lab

在那上課或到處閒逛

in a very open, friendly atmosphere.

充滿開放又愜意的氛圍

None of my previous experience prepared me

我以往的經驗都沒有過

for what came next. Can you guess?

這樣驚人的結果,你猜結果如何?

The press started calling us.

媒體致電找我們

And the more we talked about how great it was to increase

我們越是跟他們強調增加科學素養的重要性

science literacy, the more they wanted to talk

他們就越想報導

about us creating the next Frankenstein,

我們創造了下一代的科學怪人

and as a result, for the next six months,

所以囉 接下來的半年裡

when you Googled my name,

你上網搜尋我的名字的話

instead of getting my scientific papers, you got this.

你找不到我的研究論文，反而會看到

["Am I a biohazard?"]

這篇報導(我帶來生化危機?)

(Laughter)

(笑)

It was pretty depressing.

我實在是很難過

The only thing that got us through that period

我們熬過這段過渡期的唯一動力

was that we knew that all over the world,

就是我們知道世界各地

there were other people that were trying to do

也有其他人正在試著

the same thing that we were.

做一樣的事情

They were opening biohacker spaces, and some of them

他們設立生物駭客的實驗室，有一些人

were facing much greater challenges than we did,

遇到比我們還大許多的挑戰

more regulations, less resources.

更多的法規、更少的資源

But now, three years later, here's where we stand.

但三年後的現在，我們有這麼多的分部

It's a vibrant, global community of hackerspaces,

這是個充滿活力、國際型的交流實驗室(又稱駭客空間)

and this is just the beginning.

這一切才正開始而已

These are some of the biggest ones,

這些是全球主要的駭客空間

and there are others opening every day.

每天也都有新的實驗室成立

There's one probably going to open up in Moscow,

以後，大概在莫斯科會有新的實驗室

one in South Korea,

南韓也會有

and the cool thing is they each have their own

最酷的是，他們都有各自的特色

individual flavor

最酷的是，他們都有各自的特色

that grew out of the community they came out of.

這是從他們的社區裡發展出來的

Let me take you on a little tour.

我們來見識一下吧

Biohackers work alone.

生物駭客會獨立作業(圖)

We work in groups,

也會彼此合作

in big cities — (Laughter) —

會在大城市裡工作(笑,如圖)

and in small villages.

在小村莊裡工作

We reverse engineer lab equipment.

我們重組實驗室的工程設備

We genetically engineer bacteria.

用基因工程改造細菌

We hack hardware,

駭進硬體

software,

軟體

wetware,

濕體(仿生物軟體)

and, of course, the code of life.

當然 還有生命密碼

We like to build things.

我們喜歡組合新東西

Then we like to take things apart.

也喜歡拆解東西

We make things grow.

我們讓生物成長

We make things glow.

讓東西發亮

And we make cells dance.

甚至讓細胞舞動

The spirit of these labs, it's open, it's positive,

這些實驗室的主要精神是開放、正向的風氣

but, you know, sometimes when people think of us,

但可想而知，有些人看到我們

the first thing that comes to mind is bio-safety,

就會聯想到生物安全那些

bio-security, all the dark side stuff.

全都是負面的想法

I'm not going to minimize those concerns.

我不會試著把這些疑慮降到最低

Any powerful technology is inherently dual use,

基本上，所有具影響力的科技都是一體兩面的

and, you know, you get something like

你也知道，像是

synthetic biology, nanobiotechnology,

合成生物學、奈米生物科技

it really compels you, you have to look at both

不得不承認，你不只要看重

the amateur groups but also the professional groups,

業餘團體，也要重視專業的科學團隊

because they have better infrastructure,

畢竟他們有比較好的基礎建設

they have better facilities,

設備較齊全

and they have access to pathogens.

也有取得病原體的管道

So the United Nations did just that, and they recently

所以，聯合國就這麼做

issued a report on this whole area,

最近聯合國發表了該領域的報告

and what they concluded was the power of this technology

結論是，這項科技(生科)的

for positive was much greater than the risk for negative,

正面用途比負面風險高出許多

and they even looked specifically at the DIYbio community,

聯合國甚至特別於DIY生科實驗社區做調查

and they noted, not surprisingly, that the press

一點也不意外地發現

had a tendency to consistently overestimate our capabilities

媒體總是高估我們的能力

and underestimate our ethics.

低估了我們的道德意識

As a matter of fact, DIY people from all over the world,

事實上，DIY實驗室的人來自世界各地

America, Europe, got together last year,

從美國或歐洲等地的人，去年齊聚一堂

and we hammered out a common code of ethics.

在道德這議題上達成共識。在這方面

That's a lot more than conventional science has done.

一般科學家和我們比起來根本是小巫見大巫

Now, we follow state and local regulations.

我們遵守國家與地方法規

We dispose of our waste properly, we follow

正確地處理實驗廢物

safety procedures, we don't work with pathogens.

遵守安全程序，且不做病原體相關實驗

You know, if you're working with a pathogen,

如果你做了病原體的實驗

you're not part of the biohacker community,

你就不是生物駭客的一分子了

you're part of the bioterrorist community, I'm sorry.

真是遺憾 大家會把你視為生物恐怖份子

And sometimes people ask me,

那麼，有時候會有人問：

"Well, what about an accident?"

「做這個會不會發生意外啊？」

Well, working with the safe organisms that we normally

老實説，我們平常都是做安全生物體的實驗

work with, the chance of an accident happening

發生意外的機率

with somebody accidentally creating, like,

就像是有人意外地創造了

some sort of superbug,

某種超級細菌

that's literally about as probable as a snowstorm

差不多跟薩哈拉沙漠發生暴風雪

in the middle of the Sahara Desert.

的機率一樣

Now, it could happen,

有可能發生

but I'm not going to plan my life around it.

但我不會用一輩子的精力去擔心這問題

I've actually chosen to take a different kind of risk.

實際上，我決定承擔另外一種風險

I signed up for something called the Personal Genome Project.

我加入「個人基因組計畫」

It's a study at Harvard where, at the end of the study,

這是哈佛的研究。在這研究的最後階段

they're going to take my entire genomic sequence,

他們會取得我的基因序列

all of my medical information, and my identity,

我所有的病歷史，還有我的個人資料

and they're going to post it online for everyone to see.

接下來，把我的資料公開在網路上

There were a lot of risks involved that they talked about

其中風險重重。在他們的同意書裡

during the informed consent portion.

都有提到

The one I liked the best is,

我最愛的一項風險是

someone could download my sequence, go back to the lab,

別人可能下載我的基因序列，拿到實驗室

synthesize some fake Ellen DNA,

重組成我的冒牌DNA

and plant it at a crime scene. (Laughter)

並製造假的犯罪現場脫罪（笑）

But like DIYbio, the positive outcomes and

就跟DIY生物物實驗一樣，這項研究所帶來

the potential for good for a study like that

好的結果及正面用途的可能性

far outweighs the risk.

大大超過風險

Now, you might be asking yourself,

好了 你或許會有疑問

"Well, you know, what would I do in a biolab?"

「我能在生物實驗室裡幹甚麼？」

Well, it wasn't that long ago we were asking, "Well,

這跟以前我們會懷疑説

what would anyone do with a personal computer?"

「電腦到底可以做什麼？」一樣

So this stuff is just beginning.

這才剛開始而已

We're only seeing just the tip of the DNA iceberg.

我們看到的只是DNA的冰山一角

Let me show you what you could do right now.

讓我吿訴你現在可以做什麼

A biohacker in Germany, a journalist, wanted to know

一名德國的生物駭客,他是記者,他想知道

whose dog was leaving little presents on his street?

誰家的狗狗留下「黃金」在他家門前的街上

(Laughter) (Applause)

（笑）

Yep, you guessed it. He threw tennis balls

沒錯,你猜對了。他跟所有社區的狗狗

to all the neighborhood dogs, analyzed the saliva,

玩網球，分析唾液樣本

identified the dog, and confronted the dog owner.

找出兇手，並找主人理論

(Laughter) (Applause)

（笑）

I discovered an invasive species in my own backyard.

我發現有外來種生物入侵我家後院

Looked like a ladybug, right?

長的很像瓢蟲 對吧

It actually is a Japanese beetle.

它其實是日本甲蟲

And the same kind of technology --

還有相同技術

it's called DNA barcoding, it's really cool --

叫「DNA條碼」 它很酷

You can use it to check if your caviar is really beluga,

它可以用來檢驗你的魚子醬是否真的是鱘魚做的

if that sushi is really tuna, or if that goat cheese

壽司上的鮪魚是不是真的鮪魚，或找出你花大錢買來的

that you paid so much for is really goat's.

羊奶起司是不是真的用山羊奶做的

In a biohacker space, you can analyze your genome

在生物駭客實驗室裡，你可以分析自己的基因組

for mutations.

找出突變

You can analyze your breakfast cereal for GMO's,

分析早餐的麥片，看有無含基因改造作物

and you can explore your ancestry.

你也可以追溯你的祖先

You can send weather balloons up into the stratosphere,

你可以把氣象球送到平流層

collect microbes, see what's up there.

蒐集微生物，看看那裡到底有什麼

You can make a biocensor out of yeast

可以用酵母做成生物感測器

to detect pollutants in water.

找出水裡的污染物質

You can make some sort of a biofuel cell.

你可以做出生質燃料電池

You can do a lot of things.

你可以做一大堆事情

You can also do an art science project. Some of these

還可以利用它來做出藝術與科學結合的設計

are really spectacular, and they look at social,

有些作品真的很棒，它們用完全不同的觀點

ecological problems from a completely different perspective.

來看待社會與環境問題

It's really cool.

真的很酷

Some people ask me, well, why am I involved?

有些人問我，為什麼要參與業餘生科計劃

I could have a perfectly good career in mainstream science.

我大可在主流科學上發光發熱

The thing is, there's something in these labs

原因是在 DIY 實驗室裡

that they have to offer society that you can't find

有些能貢獻給社會的東西，其他地方都找不到

anywhere else.

有些能貢獻給社會的東西，其他地方都找不到

There's something sacred about a space where

在這環境，有一點是神聖的

you can work on a project, and you don't have to justify

你可以做任何研究計劃，無須向別人證明

to anyone that it's going to make a lot of money,

這項研究是棵搖錢樹

that it's going to save mankind, or even that it's feasible.

或能夠拯救人類，甚至是否可行

It just has to follow safety guidelines.

只要遵守安全規範即可

If you had spaces like this all over the world,

如果世界各地都有生物駭客的實驗室

it could really change the perception

就可以改變固有的想法

of who's allowed to do biotech.

沒人規定誰才能從事生科實驗

It's spaces like these that spawned personal computing.

DIY空間就跟個人電腦獨領風潮一樣

Why not personal biotech?

何不試試個人生物科技

If everyone in this room got involved,

如果在場的每個人都能加入

who knows what we could do?

天曉得我們能做什麼

This is such a new area, and as we say back in Brooklyn,

這是個全新的領域，如同我們布魯克林人說的

you ain't seen nothin' yet. (Laughter)

好戲還在後頭呢！（笑）

(Applause)

（掌聲）