Smelfies, and other experiments in synthetic biology | Ani Liu

譯者: ZHENG Shu 審譯者: Helen Chang

What if our plants

如果我們的植物

could sense the toxicity levels in the soil

能夠感知土壤遭受污染的程度

and express that toxicity through the color of its leaves?

並且通過葉子的色彩 表達污染的程度，那會如何？

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

如果這些植物還能夠移除 土壤中的有毒物質，那該多好？

Instead, what if those plants

又或者，假如這些植物

grew their own packaging,

可以長出自己的包裝

or were designed to only be harvested

或者設計成只能用

by their owners' own patented machines?

專利所有權人的機器收割，會如何？

What happens when biological design

如果生物是為了大規模生產而設計的

is driven by the motivations of mass-produced commodities?

What kind of world would that be?

世界會變成什麼模樣？

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

我是安妮，是麻省理工學院 媒體實驗室的設計師和研究員

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

屬於新的、獨特的「虛構設計」組

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

我們徘徊在科幻小說和科學事實之間

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

在麻省理工，我有幸 和其他科學家並肩

studying all kinds of cutting edge fields

學習各種尖端科技

like synthetic neurobiology,

比如合成神經生物學

artificial intelligence, artificial life

人工智能、人工生命

and everything in between.

和所有介於其中的學問

And across campus, there's truly brilliant scientists

整個校園，那些真正卓越的科學家

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

會問這樣的問題： 「我如何使世界變得更美好？」

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

我的團隊喜歡問的 部分問題是：「什麼是更好？」

What is better for you, for me,

對你、我

for a white woman, a gay man,

對白種女性、男同性戀者

a veteran, a child with a prosthetic?

退伍老兵，或有義肢的兒童 什麼是更好？

Technology is never neutral.

科技永遠不是中立的

It frames a reality

它形成了現實

and reflects a context.

反映周遭的環境

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

如果這些是第一天的標準問題

你能想像辦公室的 工作與生活平衡的情況嗎？

if these were standard issue on the first day?

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

I believe it's the role of artists and designers

我相信，是藝術家和設計師的責任

to raise critical questions.

來提出尖銳的問題

Art is how you can see and feel the future,

藝術是你如何看待與感知未來

and today is an exciting time to be a designer,

當今，成為設計師是令人興奮的

for all the new tools becoming accessible.

因為可以使用很多新的工具

For instance, synthetic biology

比如，合成生物學

seeks to write biology as a design problem.

把生物學寫成設計的問題

And through these developments,

通過這些發展

my lab asks, what are the roles and responsibilities

我的實驗室問： 藝術家、設計師、科學家

of an artist, designer, scientist or businessman?

和商人的角色和責任是什麼？

What are the implications

合成生物學、基因科學

of synthetic biology, genetic engineering,

將意味什麼？

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

它們將怎樣影響我們對於人類的定義？

What are the implications of this on society, on evolution

它將如何影響社會、進化？

and what are the stakes in this game?

這其中有哪些利害關係？

My own speculative design research at the current moment

我目前臆想的設計實驗

plays with synthetic biology,

與合成生物學有關

but for more emotionally driven output.

但是更與情感的表達有關

I'm obsessed with olfaction as a design space,

我癡迷於氣味的設計

and this project started with this idea

這個專案來自這個想法：

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

如果你能做氣味自拍，會怎樣？

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

What if you could take your own natural body odor

如果你可以將自己的自然體味

and send it to a lover?

傳送給愛人，會怎樣？

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

有趣的很，我發現這是 19 世紀奧地利人的傳統

where couples in courtship would keep a slice of apple

在求愛的情侶們，會把一片蘋果

crammed under their armpit during dances,

在跳舞的時候夾在腋下

and at the end of the evening,

當晚

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

女孩會把她用過的水果 給她最喜歡的男士

and if the feeling was mutual,

如果這種感覺是相互的

he would wolf down that stinky apple.

他會狼吞虎嚥的吃掉那個有味的蘋果

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

Famously, Napoleon wrote many love letters to Josephine,

眾所周知，拿破崙 曾經寫很多情書給约瑟芬

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

最難忘的可能是 下面這簡單迫切的描述：

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

「三天內會回到家。別洗澡」

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

Both Napoleon and Josephine adored violets.

拿破崙和約瑟芬都喜歡紫羅蘭

Josephine wore violet-scented perfume,

約瑟芬擦紫羅蘭味的香水

carried violets on their wedding day,

在結婚那天捧著紫羅蘭

and Napoleon sent her a bouquet of violets

拿破崙在每個結婚紀念日

every year on their anniversary.

都送她紫羅蘭花束

When Josephine passed away,

當約瑟芬去世時

he planted violets at her grave,

他在她的墓前種下紫羅蘭

and just before his exile,

就在他被流放前

he went back to that tomb site,

他回到墓前

picked some of those flowers, entombed them in a locket

摘了一些花放入項鍊墜的小盒子裡

and wore them until the day he died.

直戴到他去世

And I found this so moving,

我覺得這很感人

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

我想，我可以使得紫羅蘭 聞起來和約瑟芬一樣嗎？

What if, for the rest of eternity,

如果在未來

when you went to visit her site,

你去到她的墳前

you could smell Josephine just as Napoleon loved her?

能聞到約瑟芬的味道 就像當初拿破崙愛她那般？

Could we engineer new ways of mourning,

我們是否能設計新的悼念方式

new rituals for remembering?

以新的儀式去懷念？

After all, we've engineered transgenic crops

畢竟，我們改變了植物的基因

to be maximized for profit,

使利潤最大化

crops that stand up to transport,

方便被運輸

crops that have a long shelf life,

能儲存很久

crops that taste sugary sweet but resist pests,

味道甜但防蟲害

sometimes at the expense of nutritional value.

有時以犧牲營養價值為代價

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

我們是否能夠同樣 用科技來表達情感呢？

So currently in my lab,

目前，我的實驗室研究

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

「什麼使得人聞起來像人」 這樣的問題

And it turns out it's fairly complicated.

結果，這相當複雜

Factors such as your diet, your medications, your lifestyle

你的飲食、藥物、生活方式等因素

all factor into the way you smell.

都會影響你的氣味

And I found that our sweat is mostly odorless,

我發現我們的汗水多半沒氣味

but it's our bacteria and microbiome

而是我們的細菌和微生物

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

造就了你的味道氣味、心情和特性

and so much beyond.

還有很多

And there's all kinds of molecules that you emit

你散發各式各樣的分子

but which we only perceive subconsciously.

被我們無意識地感受到

So I've been cataloging and collecting

所以我對身體不同部位的細菌

bacteria from different sites of my body.

進行分類、收集

After talking to a scientist, we thought,

在與科學家討論後，我們想

maybe the perfect concoction of Ani

也許完美的安妮混合物

is like 10 percent collarbone, 30 percent underarm,

可能是 10% 鎖骨、30% 腋下

40 percent bikini line and so forth,

40% 比基尼線，諸如此類

and occasionally I let researchers from other labs

偶爾，我讓別的實驗室的人員

take a sniff of my samples.

聞一點點我的樣本

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

聽身體的氣味離開身體之外 被他們感知成什麼樣子

is perceived outside of the context of the body.

非常有趣

I've gotten feedback such as,

我聽到如下的反饋：

smells like flowers, like chicken,

聞起來像花、雞肉

like cornflakes,

像玉米片

like beef carnitas.

像慢燉牛肉絲 （註：一種墨西哥食物）

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

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

同時，我培育食肉植物

for their ability to emit fleshlike odors to attract prey,

因為它們能散發吸引獵物的味道

in an attempt to kind of create this symbiotic relationship

試圖造成我的細菌

between my bacteria and this organism.

和那有機體之間的共生關係

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

就這樣，我在麻省理工，一家酒吧

and I was talking to a scientist

和一個科學家談話

who happens to be a chemist and a plant scientist,

他碰巧是個植物科學家和化學家

and I was telling him about my project,

我告訴他我的研究專案

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

他說，聽起來像是孤獨女性的園藝

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

Unperturbed, I said, "OK."

我忐忑地說：「好吧」

I challenged him.

我挑戰他

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

「我們能造出 會回應我的愛的植物嗎？」

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

他回答：「當然可以」

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

我們從能否造個 朝向我生長的植物開始

like I was the sun?

就像我是太陽一般

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

我們研究光合作用之類的機制

which causes the plant to grow towards the sun

它使得植物朝向太陽生長

by producing hormones like auxin,

通過產生如激素般的植物生長素

which causes cell elongation on the shady side.

會使得不受光那一邊的細胞拉長

And right now I'm creating a set of lipsticks

現今我在製作一組口紅

that are infused with these chemicals

裡頭注入了這些化學物質

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

讓我根據植物的化學特徵與它互動

lipsticks that cause plants to grow where I kiss it,

口紅會使植物在我親吻過的地方生長

plants that blossom where I kiss the bloom.

我在哪裡親吻，植物就在哪裡盛開

And through these projects,

通過這些專案

I'm asking questions like,

我問的問題像是

how do we define nature?

我們如何定義自然？

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

當我們能重塑特性時 如何定義自然？

and when should we do it?

我們何時該去做？

Should we do it for profit, for utility?

我們應該為利潤、為實用性去做嗎？

Can we do it for emotional ends?

我們能為情緒目的而做嗎？

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

生物技術能製造出像音樂般的產品

What are the thresholds between science

讓人感動嗎？

科學與它塑造情感景觀的能力

and its ability to shape our emotional landscape?

兩者之間的界限是什麼？

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

有句熟知的設計行語 說「形式遵循功能」

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

如今徘徊在交錯的科學、 設計與藝術之間

I get to ask,

我想問

what if fiction informs fact?

如果虛構啟迪事實會怎樣？

What kind of R&D lab would that look like

研發實驗室看起來會是什麼模樣？

and what kind of questions would we ask together?

我們將會一起問什麼樣的問題？

We often look to technology as the answer,

我們常將技術視為解答

but as an artist and designer,

但身為藝術家和設計師

I like to ask, but what is the question?

我想問，問題是什麼？

Thank you.

謝謝

(Applause)

（鼓掌）