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

Transcriber:

譯者: Ling-Ching Kung 審譯者: Helen Chang

You probably don't think about it,

你可能沒想過，

but every day nature is trying to kill you.

大自然每天都試著要殺害你。

We as humans place constant pressure on our natural world.

我們人類持續對大自然施加壓力，

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

而大自然則以反擊作為回應 以恢復平衡。

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

一直以來，大自然總是在對 人類的發展做出調適與反應，

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

就如同我們對大自然 不斷地做出調適與反應。

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

而大自然說我們正走在 一條非永續發展的道路。

It is time to course correct.

是該修正的時候了。

This does not mean abandoning technology,

但這不代表要放棄科技發展，

but it means harnessing the power of biology itself

而是善用生物的力量

to reconcile the creature comforts of human civilization

讓人類文明的物質享受

with the natural world.

與自然界和平共存。

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

你們當中可能有人會想： 「我會回收」、「我不吃肉」、

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

「我都搭公車」， 或是「我自己種菜來吃」。

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

你們可能真的盡了自己的本分 以實踐永續發展。

如果你這麼做了，那很好。

And if you do, good for you.

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

但是從我的觀點來看， 我們想要做到的改變

on an individual effort to make the changes we need.

是無法只靠個人力量完成的。

We have to make the changes at the global scale

我們必須做全球性的改變

to truly make a difference,

才能真正有所影響，

and that requires rethinking

而那需要重新思考

what modern global sustainability looks like

現代的全球永續性應該是什麼模樣，

and a new kind of environmentalism.

並重新構思新的環境保護主義。

To be clear, when I talk about sustainability,

讓我聲明，當我說到永續性，

it's not just about the environment.

並不只關於環境。

While it's an important piece,

雖然它是重要的一環，

sustainability is about much more.

但是永續性包含更多。

Modern sustainability is the integration of the environment,

現代永續性是環境、

people and the economy.

人類和經濟的整合。

Each of them is needed to thrive.

這些是現代永續性的發展要素，

You cannot have one without the other.

缺一不可。

Therefore, the practice of sustainability recognizes

因此，在實踐永續發展時

that everything is connected and requires a different approach.

可以看出一切事物都有關聯 並且需要用不同方法處理。

So do we both individually and collectively

所以是否個人和集體

change what we're doing today?

都要改變我們現在所做的事?

I believe that technology and innovation,

我深信科技和創新，

specifically biological innovation,

尤其是生物學方面的創新，

is the key to answering that question.

是回答此問題的關鍵。

Biological innovation will enable harmonious coexistence with nature

生物學方面的創新 將會讓現今的人們與後代子孫

for humans today and in future generations,

和大自然和平共存，

while still enjoying all of the creature comforts

同時繼續享有我們期盼的 所有物質享受。

we've come to expect.

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

如果以全球的規模實行， 就能恢復與大自然間的平衡，

which will be great for humanity

而這對人類而言是很棒的事，

and will also improve the health of the planet.

還能同時促進地球的健康。

So how do we do that?

所以要如何做到?

The answer is synthetic biology.

答案是合成生物學。

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

你們當中或許有人在想：

「合成生物學?

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

『合成』和『生物』兩個詞 聽起來互相矛盾，

還可能很危險。」

How can something biological, which is based on nature,

一個基於大自然的生物的東西，

also be synthetic, which implies not natural at all?

怎們會同時是和自然 無關的合成的東西？

Well, synthetic biology is the engineering of nature

合成生物學是造福社會的 大自然工程學。

to benefit society.

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

合成生物學中最重要的成分 是我最喜歡的分子——DNA。

DNA is the code of life on Earth.

DNA 是地球上所有生命的密碼，

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

是動物、植物、人類、微生物、

bacteria, fungi and so much more.

細菌和真菌等複製後代的說明書。

By embracing the power of DNA,

藉由基因的力量，

we will be able to achieve both comfort and sustainability.

我們得以兼顧物質享受與永續發展。

Over the last millennia,

過去的幾千年來，

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

我們的祖先一直都在 以基本的方式從事此事，

by improving milk production from cows

例如提升乳牛的牛奶產量

and making a wild grass called teosinte

和把一種較大芻草的野草

into edible corn.

做成可食用的玉米。

But it took thousands of years.

但這花了幾千年。

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

過去的七十年，

我們開始將祖先在不知情的狀況下 在田中做的基因工程

without even knowing they were doing genetic engineering,

we started doing in laboratories.

移入實驗室進行。

And as a consequence, we now have the scientific knowledge

結果就是，

我們現在擁有科學知識和技術訣竅

and technological know-how

to harness the power of DNA for the better.

得以更好地利用 DNA 的力量。

A true biological revolution.

這是一個真正的生物改革。

So how can DNA and synthetic biology help?

那麼基因和合成生物學能如何幫忙呢?

Well, we can affect change in three critical areas:

這個嗎，我們可以影響三個關鍵：

health, food and materials.

健康、食物和材料。

In health, an early health and economic success

健康方面，早期有一個 健康和經濟的成功，

is recombinant injectable insulin to alleviate diabetes,

基因重組出的注射性胰島素 可減緩糖尿病這個在全球

a disease that affects 463 million people worldwide.

每年感染4億6300萬人的疾病。

Today, we can make insulin

如今，我們可利用酵母菌或細菌

from either yeast or bacteria,

製造胰島素，

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

而不須再從豬和牛的胰臟萃取。

This allows for the massive production of insulin

這允許了我們大量生產胰島素，

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

除了大大降低開銷， 還不須宰殺豬和牛。

This means that there are no longer any factory farms needed

這代表以後要把胰島素放到你的醫藥櫃

to put insulin on your pharmacy shelf.

不需要再有工廠化養殖場了。

Today, using the power of genetics,

如今，利用基因的力量，

we can reduce or even eliminate mosquito-borne diseases,

我們可以減少甚至消除 以蚊子為媒介的傳染病，

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

如瘧疾、茲卡病毒感染症，

就連登革熱也可以使用基因驅動。

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

我們控制蚊子自身的基因 以消除他們自己。

It's becoming a reality to correct defective genes

修正帶有缺陷的患者基因

in patients with inherited diseases,

正在成為現實，

such as severe combined immunodeficiency,

如嚴重複合型免疫缺乏症，

you may know it as the bubble boy syndrome,

就是你們認知中的氣泡男孩症

and sickle cell anemia.

和鐮刀型紅血球疾病。

We can diagnose disease faster and more cost-effectively

我們得以更快且划算地診斷，

by writing and reading DNA.

做法是讀寫 DNA。

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

我們已經可以在免疫系統 的細胞中加入基因片段

to identify and kill cancer cells in patients.

以辨認且殺死患者細胞中的癌細胞。

Thanks to advances like this,

多虧這種進步，在未來

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

連晚期癌症也會變成慢性病。

One major change that is enabling these incredible advances

一個讓這些大進步發生的巨變是

is the ability to read

我們識讀，和更重要的，

and more importantly to write DNA at scale.

大量轉錄基因的能力。

Over the last 20 years,

過去的二十年來，

the price of writing one base pair of DNA

轉錄一個鹼基對的費用

has dropped from 10 dollars to nine cents,

從十美金降至九分錢，

more than a hundredfold decrease,

超過一百倍地下降，

drastically reducing cost and unleashing the imagination of scientists worldwide.

大幅降低成本， 大量釋放科學家的想像力。

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

這項轉錄基因的能力 也巨大影響食物和材料。

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

談到食物，今日以基因 為基礎的合成生物科技

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

可以設計並製作細菌 以在植物根部輸送氮氣，

eliminating the need for fertilizers,

消除肥料的需求，

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

而你未必知道

不是用煤炭，就是用 從地底取得的天然氣製造的。

or natural gas that is extracted from the ground.

That is a triple win:

這是個三贏:

more food, lower food cost

更多食物，更少食物方面的成本，

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

而且還不需從地底 取得化石燃料來種食物。

While this may seem futuristic,

這或許看起來有未來感，

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

許多公司正在執行，實地驗證。

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

我們能環保地控制 破壞農作物的害蟲數量，

essentially using the bugs' own scent

基本上是利用小蟲子自身的氣味

to prevent them from mating and laying eggs,

來預防他們交配和產卵，

while also protecting birds, bees and other animals.

同時保護鳥、蜜蜂和其他動物。

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

這些方法現今雖然貴， 但以後會降價的。

We can protect bananas and papayas today,

今日我們可以保護香蕉和木瓜，

two crops that are threatened by deadly pathogens.

這兩樣被致命病原體威脅的作物。

By engineering them to be resistant to this pathogen,

透過將他們改良成能抵抗這病原體，

we can ensure that commercial scale production continues.

我們可以確保商業規模的 生產能繼續進行。

It is true for bananas and papaya,

這對香蕉和木瓜是真的，

but it's also true for many other plants

對很多其他也同樣遭受

that are coming under similar attack from nature.

此大自然攻擊的植物也是。

Third. Let's talk about material.

第三。我們來談談材料。

Everything we touch today comes from oil

今天我們所碰觸的每樣東西都是由

or natural gas extracted from the ground,

從地底取得的石油或自然氣製成的，

and that is just unsustainable.

但那一點都不永續。

And we can do better using fermentation.

而我們能利用發酵做得更好。

We all know about fermentation.

我們都知道發酵。

You feed sugar to yeast and it gets bigger.

你餵糖給酵母菌然後牠就變大。

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

或是在法國，我來自的國家， 我們叫香檳酒。

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

今日用相同的細胞， 如酵母菌、藻類和細菌，

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

你可以改造它們，

使它們能發酵糖和其他生物質能 以製造化學製品。

These tiny cells are the equivalent

這些微小的細胞相當於

of exceptionally efficient manufacturing facilities.

生產特別有效率的設施。

And it's amazing.

這非常驚人。

You can make the same chemicals that are made from oil

你可以製造出和石油 做的一模一樣的化學製品，

and you couldn't tell the difference.

而你也無法分辨差異。

That includes directly producing plastic, flavor, fragrances,

這包含直接生產塑膠、口味、香氣、

sweetener and so much more.

糖精和更多。

For instance,

例如，

the production process to make blue dye

為了用於產製藍色牛仔褲

used in the fabrication of blue jeans,

而製造藍色染料的過程，

is a massive polluter of the environment.

是個巨大的環境污染源。

Through fermentation, you can make the same dye much cheaper

透過發酵，你可以使 相同的藍色染料更便宜

and without the environmental impact.

而且不會有環境衝擊。

That is guilt-free jeans.

這是讓我們沒有罪感惡的牛仔褲。

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

另一個使我們能有舒適生活的 製造化學製品的方法

is to extract them from nature.

是從大自然獲取。

And that is also unsustainable.

但這也不永續。

For instance, squalene is a key ingredient of moisturizer.

例如，角鯊烯是保濕霜的重要成分。

And I get it.

我知道

We all want bright, beautiful hydrated skin.

我們都想要擁有明亮、 美麗、保水度高的肌膚。

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

但你知道角鯊烯的 主要來源是鯊魚的肝臟嗎?

Sharks are apex predators

鯊魚是頂尖掠食者

and a critical component of our ocean ecology.

和海洋生態重要的組成分子。

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

所以用鯊魚做面霜是沒有道理的。

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

取而代之，我們現在可以用 發酵蔗糖來製造角鯊烯，

and it's even available on Amazon.

甚至連亞馬遜網站都有在賣。

I'm not just talking about replacing current materials

我不是在說要用更永續的材料

with more sustainable ones.

取代現今使用的材料。

We are talking about making better chemicals

我們在談製造更好的材料，

that you could never make from oil

而且是你永遠法用石油做出來的，

and that will change your life in the future.

而這會改變你未來的生活。

For instance, spider silk is an amazing material.

例如，蜘蛛絲是個非常好的材質。

It's way stronger than steel and super light.

它比鋼鐵硬很多而且超級輕。

The problem is that you cannot make spider silk from oil

問題是你無法用石油製造出蜘蛛絲，

and you cannot farm spiders.

而且你無法養殖蜘蛛。

You put a million spiders in a room.

把一百萬隻蜘蛛在一個房間， 一星期後回來，

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

只剩一隻蜘蛛， 因為他們互相吃掉了。

By using synthetic biology,

利用合成生物學，

we will be able to produce spider silk at commercial scale

我們將能以商業化的規模生產蜘蛛絲

and avoid spider-on-spider violence.

和避免蜘蛛疊在蜘蛛上的暴力。

In the future planes and maybe even flying cars

未來的飛機，甚至飛行車也會是利用

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

合成蜘蛛絲取代碳複合材料製造。

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

它們會更強壯、 更輕，而且用更少燃料。

So this all sounds fantastic, but it gets better.

這聽起來很讚，但還有更好的。

It also makes economic sense.

它還有經濟上的道理。

Yes, synthetic biology will give us health,

對，合成生物學能給予我們健康、

sustainable food and sustainable material,

能長期供給的食物和材料，

but it's also a lot cheaper.

但它還便宜很多。

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

而且說實話，很多人不管環境，

but everybody loves a deal.

但大家都喜歡物超所值。

So we humans

所以我們人類

get health, food and materials at a lower cost

以更低的價格得到健康、食物和材料，

and nature gets sustainability for free.

還免費獲得大自然永續發展。

And an additional bonus is all the millions of jobs

另外一個紅利是以現代的永續遠見

that will be created through this modern vision of sustainability.

開發出的眾多工作。

These are not menial jobs.

這些不是低賤的工作。

These new jobs will be dignified and meaningful,

這些工作會被受到重視而且有意義，

and they'll be spread globally

還會全球性地擴散

to ensure that humans live more virtuously in nature.

以確保人類能更道德高尚地 在大自然中生活。

So synthetic biology is the key to making civilization sustainable

所以合成生物學是 使文明能維持的關鍵，

and will also prevent nature from killing you too.

而且還能預防大自然殺死你。

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

最後，我們不須在人類利益 和大自然之間選擇。

We can move towards balance and have both in harmony.

我們可以往平衡移動染後和平共存。

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

不是說我們能做到， 而是說我們要試著做到。

We have a moral imperative to do so.

我們有道德義務要這麼做。

Thank you.

謝謝。