Fashion has a pollution problem -- can biology fix it? | Natsai Audrey Chieza

譯者: Lilian Chiu 審譯者: Bighead Ge

You're watching the life cycle of a Streptomyces coelicolor.

你正在看的是天藍色 鏈黴菌的生命週期。

It's a strain of bacteria that's found in the soil

這種菌種會在土壤中

where it lives in a community with other organisms,

和其他有機體共同生存，

decomposing organic matter.

分解有機物質。

Coelicolor is a beautiful organism.

天藍色鏈黴菌是種美麗的有機體。

A powerhouse for synthesizing organic chemical compounds.

它是合成有機化合物的發電廠。

It produces an antibiotic called actinorhodin,

它會產生一種抗生素， 叫做放線紫紅素，

which ranges in color from blue to pink and purple,

顏色從藍色到粉紅色和紫色都有，

depending on the acidity of its environment.

依據環境的酸度而異。

That it produces these pigment molecules sparked my curiosity

它會產生色素分子， 這點引起我的好奇心，

and led me to collaborate closely with coelicolor.

導致我與天藍色鏈黴菌密切合作。

It is an unlikely partnership,

這是段不太可能的合作關係，

but it's one that completely transformed my practice as a materials designer.

但這段關係完全改變了 我身為材料設計師的工作。

From it, I understood how nature was going to completely revolutionize

它讓我了解大自然如何能完全改革

how we design and build our environments,

我們設計與建造環境的方式，

and that organisms like coelicolor

而有機體，如天藍色鏈黴菌，

were going to help us grow our material future.

將會協助栽培出我們的物質未來。

So what's wrong with things as they are?

所以現狀有什麼不好？

Well, for the last century,

在過去一世紀，

we've organized ourselves around fossil fuels,

我們的生活以化石燃料為中心，

arguably, the most valuable material system we have ever known.

可說是目前已知 最有價值的物質系統。

We are tethered to this resource, and we've crafted a dependency on it

我們被這項資源束縛住， 產生對它的依賴性，

that defines our identities, cultures, our ways of making and our economies.

它定義了我們的身分、 文化、製造方式，以及經濟。

But our fossil fuel-based activities are reshaping the earth

但我們以化石燃料 為基礎的活動正重塑地球，

with a kind of violence that is capable of dramatically changing the climate,

程度強烈到能夠顯著改變氣候，

of accelerating a loss of biodiversity

加速生物多樣性的喪失，

and even sustaining human conflict.

甚至會讓人類衝突持續。

We're living in a world

我們生活在一個

where the denial of this dependence has become deadly.

拒絕這種依賴變得致命的世界。

And its reasons are multiple,

這背後的理由有很多，

but they include the privilege of not being affected

包括不被影響的特權，

and what I believe is a profound lack of imagination

我認為，還包括在 這個星球的限制之下，

about how else we could live

對於其他的生活方式 極度缺乏想像力。

within the limits of this planet's boundaries.

Fossil fuels will one day give way to renewable energy.

化石燃料有一天會讓位給再生能源。

That means we need to find new material systems

那表示我們得要找到新的物質系統，

that are not petroleum-based.

不以石油為基礎的。

I believe that those material systems will be biological,

我認為，新的物質系統會是生物的，

but what matters is how we design and build them.

但重要的是我們 如何設計和建造它們。

They mustn't perpetuate the destructive legacies of the oil age.

它們不能讓石油年代的 破壞性遺產永久延續。

When you look at this image,

當你們看這張圖時，

what do you see?

你們看到什麼？

Well, I see a highly sophisticated biological system,

我看到的是一個 高度精密的生物系統，

that through the use of enzymes,

透過酵素的使用，

can move and place atoms more quickly and precisely

它能比我們所建造出來的 任何東西都更快速、

than anything we've ever engineered.

更精確地移動和放置原子。

And we know that it can do this at scale.

且我們知道，它能 大規模地做到這一點。

Nature has evolved over 3.8 billion years

大自然演化了 38 億年，

to be able to do this,

才能做到這一點，

but now through the use of synthetic biology,

但現在，透過合成生物學的使用，

an emerging scientific discipline

它是一種新興的科學科目，

that seeks to customize this functionality of living systems,

目的在將活系統的功能給客製化，

we can now rapid prototype the assembly of DNA.

我們現在能快速測試 DNA 組合。

That means that we can engineer the kind of biological precision

那表示，生物精確性可以高到

that makes it possible to design a bacteria

讓我們能夠設計出 能回收金屬的細菌，

that can recycle metal,

to grow fungi into furniture

能將真菌栽培成傢俱，

and even sequester renewable energy from algae.

甚至從水藻中分離出再生能源。

To think about how we might access this inherent brilliance of nature --

為了要想出我們能如何取用 大自然與生俱來的才華──

to build things from living things --

用生物來造東西──

let's consider the biological process of fermentation.

讓我們先思考發酵的生物過程。

I've come to think of fermentation, when harnessed by humans,

我漸漸認為，當發酵被人類利用時，

as an advanced technological toolkit for our survival.

可被視為是協助我們 生存的先進科技工具。

When a solid or a liquid ferments,

固體或液體發酵時

it's chemically broken down by bacterial fungi.

會被真菌化學性地分解，

The byproduct of this is what we value.

我們很珍視這過程的副產品。

So for example, we add yeast to grapes to make wine.

比如，我們添加酵母， 讓葡萄變成葡萄酒。

Well in nature, these transformations are part of a complex network --

在大自然中，這類的轉化 屬於一個複雜的網路──

a continuous cycle that redistributes energy.

一個能夠重新分配能量的持續循環。

Fermentation gives rise to multispecies interactions

發酵能引起多物種的互動，

of bacteria and fungi,

包括細菌和真菌、

plants, insects, animals and humans:

植物、昆蟲、動物、人類。

in other words, whole ecosystems.

換言之，就是整個生態系統。

We've known about these powerful microbial interactions

數千年來我們都知道這些強大的

for thousands of years.

微生物互動。

You can see how through the fermentation of grains,

你可以看見，透過穀物、

vegetal matter and animal products,

植物質，以及動物產品，

all peoples and cultures of the world have domesticated microorganisms

世上各種人和文化都在使用微生物，

to make the inedible edible.

把不能吃的變成能吃的。

And there's even evidence that as early as 350 AD,

甚至早在公元 350 年 就已經有證據，

people deliberately fermented foodstuffs that contained antibiotics.

證明人們會刻意發酵 含有抗生素的食品。

The skeletal remains of some Sudanese Nubian

一些蘇丹努比亞人的骨骸

were found to contain significant deposits of tetracycline.

被發現含有明顯的四環素沉澱。

That's an antibiotic that we use in modern medicine today.

那是我們在現代醫學中 會使用的一種抗生素。

And nearly 1500 years later,

近 1500 年後，

Alexander Fleming discovered the antimicrobial properties of mold.

亞歷山大弗萊明發現了 黴菌的抗微生物特性。

And it was only through the industrialized fermentation of penicillin

透過盤尼西林的工業化發酵，

才讓數百萬得到 感染性疾病的人能夠存活。

that millions could survive infectious diseases.

Fermentation could once again play an important role

在我們人類的發展當中，

in our human development.

發酵可以再次扮演重要的角色。

Could it represent a new mode of survival

它是否能代表一種新的生存方式，

if we harness it to completely change our industries?

如果我們利用它來 完全改變我們的產業？

I've worked in my creative career to develop new material systems

在我的創意職涯當中， 我為紡織業發展了

for the textile industry.

新的物質系統。

And while it is work that I love,

雖然這是我喜愛的工作，

I cannot reconcile with the fact that the textile industry

我無法接受一個事實：

is one of the most polluting in the world.

紡織業是世界上 污染最嚴重的產業之一。

Most of the ecological harm caused by textile processing

大部分因紡織處理所造成的生態傷害

occurs at the finishing and the dyeing stage.

發生在收尾及染色階段。

Processing textiles requires huge amounts of water.

紡織處理會需要很大量的水。

And since the oil age completely transformed the textile industry,

因為石油年代完全轉變了紡織業，

many of the materials

處理所使用的

and the chemicals used to process them are petroleum based.

許多材料和化學物質 都是以石油為基礎的。

And so coupled with our insatiable appetite for fast fashion,

所以，加上我們對於快速時尚 永遠無法滿足的胃口，

a huge amount of textile waste is ending up in landfill every year

結果就是每年要掩埋 大量的紡織廢物，

because it remains notoriously difficult to recycle.

因為眾所皆知， 這些廢物是很難回收的。

So again, contrast this with biology.

所以，再一次， 將它和生物學做對照。

Evolved over 3.8 billion years,

經過 38 億年的演化，

to rapid prototype,

到快速測試原型，

to recycle and to replenish

到回收和再補充，

better than any system we've ever engineered.

優於我們曾製造過的任何系統。

I was inspired by this immense potential

我被這巨大的潛能所鼓舞，

and wanted to explore it through a seemingly simple question --

想要透過一個似乎 很簡單的問題來探究它──

at the time.

在那時是如此。

If a bacteria produces a pigment,

如果細菌能產生色素，

how do we work with it to dye textiles?

我們如何用它來將織物染色？

Well, one of my favorite ways

我最喜歡的方式之一，

is to grow Streptomyces coelicolor directly onto silk.

是直接在絲上培養天藍色鏈黴菌。

You can see how each colony produces pigment around its own territory.

你們可以看到每個菌落都會 在它的領土周圍產生出色素。

Now, if you add many, many cells,

如果你添加許多許多細胞，

they generate enough dyestuff to saturate the entire cloth.

它們能生成足夠的染料 將整片布料染色。

Now, the magical thing about dyeing textiles in this way --

神奇的是

這種將織物染色的方式──

this sort of direct fermentation

直接將細菌添加到絲上的 直接發酵方式──

when you add the bacteria directly onto the silk --

is that to dye one t-shirt,

就是如果要染色一件Ｔ恤，

the bacteria survive on just 200 milliliters of water.

只要 200 毫升的水， 細菌就可以存活。

And you can see how this process generates very little runoff

你們可以看見，這個過程 產生的流量非常少，

and produces a colorfast pigment without the use of any chemicals.

不用任何化學物質就能 產生出不褪色的色素。

So now you're thinking --

所以，現在你們在想──

and you're thinking right --

且你們這樣想是對的──

an inherent problem associated with designing with a living system is:

用生物系統來設計， 天生就會有一個相關的問題：

How do you guide a medium that has a life force of its own?

你要如何引導一個媒介， 如果它本身就有自己的生命力？

Well, once you've established the baseline for cultivating Streptomyces

一旦你建立起了培養鏈黴菌的基線，

so that it consistently produces enough pigment,

讓它能很一致地產生出足夠的色素，

you can turn to twisting, folding,

你就能轉向撚、折、

clamping, dipping, spraying,

鉗夾、浸染、噴塗、

submerging --

淹染──

all of these begin to inform the aesthetics of coelicolor's activity.

所有這些做法，都讓天藍色 鏈黴菌活動的美感更有特色。

And using them in a systematic way

以系統性的方式來使用它們，

enables us to be able to generate an organic pattern ...

讓我們能夠生成有機的圖案、

a uniform dye ...

染色均勻，

and even a graphic print.

甚至能印圖。

Another problem is how to scale these artisanal methods of making

另一個問題

是要如何擴大這些手作的規模，

so that we can start to use them in industry.

使它能被用在產業上？

When we talk about scale,

當我們談到規模，

we consider two things in parallel:

我們會平行思考兩件事：

scaling the biology,

將生物學規模擴大，

and then scaling the tools and the processes

以及將此生物學所需要的

required to work with the biology.

工具及過程的規模擴大。

If we can do this,

如果我們能做到，

then we can move what happens on a petri dish

我們就能移動培養皿上 所發生的現象，

so that it can meet the human scale,

讓它能符合人類的規模，

and then hopefully the architecture of our environments.

希望，接著能符合我們環境的結構。

If Fleming were alive today,

如果佛萊明還活著，

this would definitely be a part of his toolkit.

這肯定會是他的工具之一。

You're looking at our current best guess

你們現在看到的，

是我們目前對如何擴大 生物學規模的最佳猜測。

of how to scale biology.

It's a bioreactor;

它是生物反應器；

a kind of microorganism brewery that contains yeasts

一種微生物釀造廠，內含有酵母，

that have been engineered to produce specific commodity chemicals and compounds

設計來製造特定的大量 生產型化學物質和化合物，

like fragrances and flavors.

像是香氣和口味。

It's actually connected to a suite of automated hardware and software

它其實和一系列的 自動化軟硬體有關，

that read in real time

它們能即時做讀取，

and feed back to a design team the growth conditions of the microbe.

將微生物生長條件的資訊 回饋給設計團隊。

So we can use this system to model the growth characteristics

所以我們可以用這個系統 來為像天藍色鏈黴菌

of an organism like coelicolor

這類有機物的生長特性建立模型，

to see how it would ferment at 50,000 liters.

來看看它在五萬公升的 水中會如何發酵。

I'm currently based at Ginkgo Bioworks,

我目前在 Ginkgo Bioworks 工作，

which is a biotechnology startup in Boston.

它是一間生技公司，在波士頓起家。

I am working to see how their platform for scaling biology

我正在努力研究如何將 他們的生物學擴展平台

interfaces with my artisanal methods of designing with bacteria for textiles.

與我的手作設計紡織品的 細菌方法相接合。

We're doing things like engineering Streptomyces coelicolor

我們在做的包括製造天藍色鏈黴菌，

to see if it can produce more pigment.

看看它能否產生出更多色素。

And we're even looking at the tools for synthetic biology.

我們甚至在研究 合成生物學用的工具。

Tools that have been designed specifically to automate synthetic biology

這些工具是被設計來 讓合成生物學能自動化，

to see how they could adapt to become tools to print and dye textiles.

看看它們是否適合做為 織物印刷和染色的工具。

I'm also leveraging digital fabrication,

我也在發揮數位製造的功能，

because the tools that I need to work with Streptomyces coelicolor

因為我處理天藍色 鏈黴菌所需要的工具

don't actually exist.

實際上並不存在。

So in this case --

所以，在這個情況下──

in the last week actually,

其實，就是在上週，

I've just designed a petri dish

我剛設計了一個培養皿，

that is engineered to produce a bespoke print on a whole garment.

設計來產出整件服飾上的訂製圖案。

We're making lots of kimonos.

我們做了很多和服。

Here's the exciting thing:

有件事很讓人興奮：

I'm not alone.

我不孤單。

There are others who are building capacity in this field,

在這個領域還有其他人在建立能力，

like MycoWorks.

就像 MycoWorks。

MycoWorks is a startup

MycoWorks 是一間新創公司，

that wants to replace animal leather with mushroom leather,

他們想要把動物皮革換成蘑菇皮革，

a versatile, high-performance material

那是一種多功能、高效能的材料，

that has applications beyond textiles and into product and architecture.

可以應用到紡織 以外的產品及結構上。

And Bolt Threads --

還有 Bolt Threads──

they've engineered a yeast to produce spider-silk protein

他們製造了一種酵母， 能生產蜘蛛絲蛋白質，

that can be spun into a highly programmable yarn.

能被織入可高度程控的紗線當中。

So think water resistance,

想想防水性、

stretchability and superstrength.

延展性，以及超級強度。

To reach economies of scale,

要達成規模經濟，

these kinds of startups are having to build and design

這類新創公司得要建立、設計，

and engineer the infrastructure to work with biology.

並製作出必要的基礎設備， 才能和生物學結合。

For example,

比如，

Bolt Threads have had to engage in some extreme biomimicry.

Bolt Threads 得要用到 一些很極端的仿生學。

To be able to spin the product this yeast creates into a yarn,

為了要吐出這種酵母 在紗線中所創造出的產品，

they've engineered a yarn-making machine

他們製造了一台造紗線的機器，

that mimics the physiological conditions

它能模仿蜘蛛通常

under which spiders ordinarily spin their own silk.

在吐絲時的生理條件。

So you can start to see how imaginative

所以，你們能開始見識到

大自然中存在著多有想像力、

and inspiring modes of making exist in nature

多鼓舞人心的製造方式，

that we can use to build capacity around new bio-based industries.

讓我們能夠在

以生物為基礎的產業中建立能力。

What we now have is the technology

我們現在擁有的科技

to design, build, test and scale these capabilities.

可以用來設計、建立、 測試、擴大這些能力。

At this present moment,

在目前，

as we face the ecological crisis in front of us,

我們正在面臨生態危機，

what we have to do is to determine

我們要做的事，是去決定

how we're going to build these new material systems

我們要如何建造這些新的物質系統，

so that they don't mirror the damaging legacies of the oil age.

讓它們不要反映 石油時代的破壞性遺留問題。

How we're going to distribute them to ensure a sustainable development

我們要如何分配它們，

才能確保在全世界

that is fair and equitable across the world.

都公平、平等的永續發展。

And crucially, how we would like the regulatory and ethical frameworks

我們希望有什麼樣的制度和道德架構

that govern these technologies

來管理這些科技與我們社會的互動。

to interact with our society.

Biotechnology is going to touch every part of our lived experience.

生物科技將會觸及我們 生活經驗的每一部分。

It is living;

它是活的；

it is digital;

它是數位的；

it is designed, and it can be crafted.

它是設計出來的，且它能被製作。

This is a material future that we must be bold enough to shape.

這是我們必須要 大膽去形塑的物質未來。

Thank you.

謝謝。

(Applause)

（掌聲）