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Lean CH. Navigating the 'moral hazard' argument in synthetic biology's application. Synth Biol (Oxf) 2024; 9:ysae008. [PMID: 38828013 PMCID: PMC11141592 DOI: 10.1093/synbio/ysae008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2023] [Revised: 05/07/2024] [Accepted: 05/21/2024] [Indexed: 06/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Synthetic biology has immense potential to ameliorate widespread environmental damage. The promise of such technology could, however, be argued to potentially risk the public, industry or governments not curtailing their environmentally damaging behavior or even worse exploit the possibility of this technology to do further damage. In such cases, there is the risk of a worse outcome than if the technology was not deployed. This risk is often couched as an objection to new technologies, that the technology produces a moral hazard. This paper describes how to navigate a moral hazard argument and mitigate the possibility of a moral hazard. Navigating moral hazard arguments and mitigating the possibility of a moral hazard will improve the public and environmental impact of synthetic biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher Hunter Lean
- ARC Centre of Excellence in Synthetic Biology, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia
- Department of Philosophy, Faculty of Arts, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia
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2
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Forcina G, Clavero M, Meister M, Barilaro C, Guerrini M, Barbanera F. Introduced and extinct: neglected archival specimens shed new light on the historical biogeography of an iconic avian species in the Mediterranean. Integr Zool 2024. [PMID: 38217088 DOI: 10.1111/1749-4877.12801] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/15/2024]
Abstract
Collection specimens provide valuable and often overlooked biological material that enables addressing relevant, long-unanswered questions in conservation biology, historical biogeography, and other research fields. Here, we use preserved specimens to analyze the historical distribution of the black francolin (Francolinus francolinus, Phasianidae), a case that has recently aroused the interest of archeozoologists and evolutionary biologists. The black francolin currently ranges from the Eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East to the Indian subcontinent, but, at least since the Middle Ages, it also had a circum-Mediterranean distribution. The species could have persisted in Greece and the Maghreb until the 19th century, even though this possibility had been questioned due to the absence of museum specimens and scant literary evidence. Nevertheless, we identified four 200-year-old stuffed black francolins-presumably the only ones still existing-from these areas and sequenced their mitochondrial DNA control region. Based on the comparison with conspecifics (n = 396) spanning the entirety of the historic and current species range, we found that the new samples pertain to previously identified genetic groups from either the Near East or the Indian subcontinent. While disproving the former occurrence of an allegedly native westernmost subspecies, these results point toward the role of the Crown of Aragon in the circum-Mediterranean expansion of the black francolin, including the Maghreb and Greece. Genetic evidence hints at the long-distance transport of these birds along the Silk Road, probably to be traded in the commerce centers of the Eastern Mediterranean.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giovanni Forcina
- CIBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, InBIO Laboratório Associado, Campus de Vairão, Universidade do Porto, Vairão, Portugal
- BIOPOLIS Program in Genomics, Biodiversity and Land Planning, CIBIO, Campus de Vairão, Vairão, Portugal
- Universidad de Alcalá, Departamento de Ciencias de la Vida, Global Change Ecology and Evolution Research Group (GloCEE), Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, Spain
| | - Miguel Clavero
- Departamento de Biología de la Conservación, Estación Biológica de Doñana EBD-CSIC, Sevilla, Spain
| | - Marie Meister
- UMR7044 du CNRS and Musée Zoologique de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France
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3
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Plante M. Epistemology of synthetic biology: a new theoretical framework based on its potential objects and objectives. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2023; 11:1266298. [PMID: 38053845 PMCID: PMC10694798 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2023.1266298] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2023] [Accepted: 11/07/2023] [Indexed: 12/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Synthetic biology is a new research field which attempts to understand, modify, and create new biological entities by adopting a modular and systemic conception of the living organisms. The development of synthetic biology has generated a pluralism of different approaches, bringing together a set of heterogeneous practices and conceptualizations from various disciplines, which can lead to confusion within the synthetic biology community as well as with other biological disciplines. I present in this manuscript an epistemological analysis of synthetic biology in order to better define this new discipline in terms of objects of study and specific objectives. First, I present and analyze the principal research projects developed at the foundation of synthetic biology, in order to establish an overview of the practices in this new emerging discipline. Then, I analyze an important scientometric study on synthetic biology to complete this overview. Afterwards, considering this analysis, I suggest a three-level classification of the object of study for synthetic biology (which are different kinds of living entities that can be built in the laboratory), based on three successive criteria: structural hierarchy, structural origin, functional origin. Finally, I propose three successively linked objectives in which synthetic biology can contribute (where the achievement of one objective led to the development of the other): interdisciplinarity collaboration (between natural, artificial, and theoretical sciences), knowledge of natural living entities (past, present, future, and alternative), pragmatic definition of the concept of "living" (that can be used by biologists in different contexts). Considering this new theoretical framework, based on its potential objects and objectives, I take the position that synthetic biology has not only the potential to develop its own new approach (which includes methods, objects, and objectives), distinct from other subdisciplines in biology, but also the ability to develop new knowledge on living entities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mirco Plante
- Collège Montmorency, Laval, QC, Canada
- Centre Armand-Frappier Santé Biotechnologie, Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique, Université du Québec, Laval, QC, Canada
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Trump B, Cummings C, Klasa K, Galaitsi S, Linkov I. Governing biotechnology to provide safety and security and address ethical, legal, and social implications. Front Genet 2023; 13:1052371. [PMID: 36712887 PMCID: PMC9873990 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2022.1052371] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2022] [Accepted: 12/27/2022] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
The field of biotechnology has produced a wide variety of materials and products which are rapidly entering the commercial marketplace. While many developments promise revolutionary benefits, some of them pose uncertain or largely untested risks and may spur debate, consternation, and outrage from individuals and groups who may be affected by their development and use. In this paper we show that the success of any advanced genetic development and usage requires that the creators establish technical soundness, ensure safety and security, and transparently represent the product's ethical, legal, and social implications (ELSI). We further identify how failures to address ELSI can manifest as significant roadblocks to product acceptance and adoption and advocate for use of the "safety-by-design" governance philosophy. This approach requires addressing risk and ELSI needs early and often in the technology development process to support innovation while providing security and safety for workers, the public, and the broader environment. This paper identifies and evaluates major ELSI challenges and perspectives to suggest a methodology for implementing safety-by-design in a manner consistent with local institutions and politics. We anticipate the need for safety-by-design approach to grow and permeate biotechnology governance structures as the field expands in scientific and technological complexity, increases in public attention and prominence, and further impacts human health and the environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin Trump
- Engineering Research and Development Center, United States Army Corps of Engineers, Vicksburg, MS, United States
| | - Christopher Cummings
- Engineering Research and Development Center, United States Army Corps of Engineers, Vicksburg, MS, United States,Genetic Engineering and Society, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, United States,Gene Edited Foods Project, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, United States,*Correspondence: Christopher Cummings,
| | - Kasia Klasa
- Department of Healthcare Management and Policy, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, MI, United States
| | - Stephanie Galaitsi
- Engineering Research and Development Center, United States Army Corps of Engineers, Vicksburg, MS, United States
| | - Igor Linkov
- Engineering Research and Development Center, United States Army Corps of Engineers, Vicksburg, MS, United States,Department of Engineering and Public Policy, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
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5
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Genetic approaches for increasing fitness in endangered species. Trends Ecol Evol 2022; 37:332-345. [PMID: 35027225 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2021.12.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2021] [Revised: 12/02/2021] [Accepted: 12/06/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
The global rate of wildlife extinctions is accelerating, and the persistence of many species requires conservation breeding programs. A central paradigm of these programs is to preserve the genetic diversity of the founder populations. However, this may preserve original characteristics that make them vulnerable to extinction. We introduce targeted genetic intervention (TGI) as an alternative approach that promotes traits that enable species to persist in the face of threats by changing the incidence of alleles that impact on fitness. The TGI toolkit includes methods with established efficacy in model organisms and agriculture but are largely untried for conservation, such as synthetic biology and artificial selection. We explore TGI approaches as a species-restoration tool for intractable threats including infectious disease and climate change.
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Algera DA, Neigel KL, Kosziwka K, Abrams AE, Glassman DM, Bennett JR, Cooke SJ, Lapointe NW. Assessing a proponent-driven process for endangered species threat mitigation: Ontario’s Endangered Species Act, American Eel, and hydropower. Facets (Ott) 2022. [DOI: 10.1139/facets-2021-0058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
American Eel (Anguilla rostrata) were used as a case study to assess whether Ontario’s Endangered Species Act proponent-driven regulatory approach resulted in successful imperilled species management outcomes. American Eel observation databases and proponent-prepared mitigation plans and monitoring data were used to assess whether: ( i) facilities within the distribution range were registered, ( ii) effects monitoring protocols were adequate to evaluate adverse effects of facilities, ( iii) proponents implemented mitigation actions that followed best management practices (BMPs), and ( iv) effectiveness monitoring designs were adequate to evaluate effectiveness of mitigation actions. Less than half of the facilities (8 of 17) within the extant species range were registered. Few eels were observed at each facility, precluding proponents from effectively evaluating the facilities’ effects. Mitigation actions following BMPs were only implemented for eel out-migration at three facilities. Half of the registered facilities implemented effectiveness monitoring, but experimental designs did not follow best practices and standards. To improve this proponent-driven approach, regulators could reduce ambiguity in regulation language and provide clearer, quantitative requirements for facility registration, effects monitoring, mitigation actions, and effectiveness monitoring. Proponents could improve monitoring efforts to establish species occurrence and generate baseline data to measure facility effects and mitigation action effectiveness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dirk A. Algera
- Fish Ecology and Conservation Physiology Laboratory, Department of Biology and Institute of Environmental and Interdisciplinary Science, Carleton University, 1125 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Kate L. Neigel
- Department of Civil Engineering, University of Ottawa, 800 King Edward Avenue, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Kerri Kosziwka
- Fish Ecology and Conservation Physiology Laboratory, Department of Biology and Institute of Environmental and Interdisciplinary Science, Carleton University, 1125 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Alice E.I. Abrams
- Fish Ecology and Conservation Physiology Laboratory, Department of Biology and Institute of Environmental and Interdisciplinary Science, Carleton University, 1125 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Daniel M. Glassman
- Fish Ecology and Conservation Physiology Laboratory, Department of Biology and Institute of Environmental and Interdisciplinary Science, Carleton University, 1125 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Joseph R. Bennett
- Fish Ecology and Conservation Physiology Laboratory, Department of Biology and Institute of Environmental and Interdisciplinary Science, Carleton University, 1125 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Steven J. Cooke
- Fish Ecology and Conservation Physiology Laboratory, Department of Biology and Institute of Environmental and Interdisciplinary Science, Carleton University, 1125 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Nicolas W.R. Lapointe
- Fish Ecology and Conservation Physiology Laboratory, Department of Biology and Institute of Environmental and Interdisciplinary Science, Carleton University, 1125 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, ON, Canada
- Canadian Wildlife Federation, 350 Michael Cowpland Drive, Kanata, ON, Canada
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7
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Núñez-Corrales S, Jakobsson E. Entropic boundary conditions towards safe artificial superintelligence. J EXP THEOR ARTIF IN 2021. [DOI: 10.1080/0952813x.2021.1952653] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Santiago Núñez-Corrales
- Illinois Informatics and National Center for Supercomputing Applications, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana IL, USA
| | - Eric Jakobsson
- Molecular and Cellular Biology and National Center for Supercomputing Applications, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana IL, USA
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8
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Brister E, Holbrook JB, Palmer MJ. Conservation science and the ethos of restraint. CONSERVATION SCIENCE AND PRACTICE 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/csp2.381] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Evelyn Brister
- Philosophy Department Rochester Institute of Technology Rochester New York USA
| | - J. Britt Holbrook
- Department of Humanities New Jersey Institute of Technology Newark New Jersey USA
| | - Megan J. Palmer
- Department of Bioengineering Stanford University Stanford California USA
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9
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Creating proxies of extinct species: the bioethics of de-extinction. Emerg Top Life Sci 2020; 3:731-735. [PMID: 32915217 DOI: 10.1042/etls20190109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2019] [Revised: 09/13/2019] [Accepted: 09/16/2019] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
In April 2013 the National Geographic magazine carried the cover title 'Reviving extinct species, we can, but should we?' suggesting that the technical challenges had been met, but some ethical concerns remained unresolved. Seven years later it is clear that this is not the case. Here we consider the technical scope, the uncertainties, and some of the bioethical issues raised by the future prospect of de-extinction. Biodiversity and welfare will not always align, and when a clash is unavoidable, a trade-off will be necessary, seeking the greatest overall value. De-extinction challenges our current conservation mind-set that seeks to preserve the species and population diversity that currently exists. But if we want to sustain and enhance a biodiverse natural world we might have to be forward looking and embrace the notion of bio-novelty by focussing more on ecosystem stability and resilience, rather than backward looking and seeking to try and recreate lost worlds.
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11
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DeLisi C, Patrinos A, MacCracken M, Drell D, Annas G, Arkin A, Church G, Cook-Deegan R, Jacoby H, Lidstrom M, Melillo J, Milo R, Paustian K, Reilly J, Roberts RJ, Segrè D, Solomon S, Woolf D, Wullschleger SD, Yang X. The Role of Synthetic Biology in Atmospheric Greenhouse Gas Reduction: Prospects and Challenges. BIODESIGN RESEARCH 2020; 2020:1016207. [PMID: 37849905 PMCID: PMC10521736 DOI: 10.34133/2020/1016207] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2020] [Accepted: 05/29/2020] [Indexed: 10/19/2023] Open
Abstract
The long atmospheric residence time of CO2 creates an urgent need to add atmospheric carbon drawdown to CO2 regulatory strategies. Synthetic and systems biology (SSB), which enables manipulation of cellular phenotypes, offers a powerful approach to amplifying and adding new possibilities to current land management practices aimed at reducing atmospheric carbon. The participants (in attendance: Christina Agapakis, George Annas, Adam Arkin, George Church, Robert Cook-Deegan, Charles DeLisi, Dan Drell, Sheldon Glashow, Steve Hamburg, Henry Jacoby, Henry Kelly, Mark Kon, Todd Kuiken, Mary Lidstrom, Mike MacCracken, June Medford, Jerry Melillo, Ron Milo, Pilar Ossorio, Ari Patrinos, Keith Paustian, Kristala Jones Prather, Kent Redford, David Resnik, John Reilly, Richard J. Roberts, Daniel Segre, Susan Solomon, Elizabeth Strychalski, Chris Voigt, Dominic Woolf, Stan Wullschleger, and Xiaohan Yang) identified a range of possibilities by which SSB might help reduce greenhouse gas concentrations and which might also contribute to environmental sustainability and adaptation. These include, among other possibilities, engineering plants to convert CO2 produced by respiration into a stable carbonate, designing plants with an increased root-to-shoot ratio, and creating plants with the ability to self-fertilize. A number of serious ecological and societal challenges must, however, be confronted and resolved before any such application can be fully assessed, realized, and deployed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charles DeLisi
- Department of Biomedical Engineering and Program in Bioinformatics, College of Engineering, Boston University, Boston MA 02215, USA
| | | | | | - Dan Drell
- Department of Energy, Washington, DC, USA
| | - George Annas
- Center for Health Law, Ethics & Human Rights at the Boston University School of Public Health, School of Medicine, Boston University, USA
| | - Adam Arkin
- Department of Bioengineering, University of California, Berkeley CA, USA
| | - George Church
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Cambridge MA, USA
| | - Robert Cook-Deegan
- School for the Future of Innovation in Society, Arizona State University, Barrett & O’Connor Washington Center, 1800 I Street, NW, Washington, DC 20006, USA
| | - Henry Jacoby
- Sloan School of Management, MIT, Cambridge MA, USA
| | - Mary Lidstrom
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle Washington, USA
| | - Jerry Melillo
- The Ecosystems Center of the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, MAUSA
| | - Ron Milo
- Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Keith Paustian
- Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins CO 80523, USA
| | - John Reilly
- MIT Joint Program on the Science and Policy of Global Change, MIT, Cambridge MA, USA
| | | | - Daniel Segrè
- Department of Biology and Program in Bioinformatics, Boston University, Boston MA 02215, USA
| | - Susan Solomon
- Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, MIT, Cambridge MA, USA
| | - Dominic Woolf
- Soil and Crop Sciences Section, School of Integrated Plant Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca NY, USA
| | - Stan D. Wullschleger
- Environmental Sciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge TN, USA
| | - Xiaohan Yang
- Biosciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, USA
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12
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Optimizing the impacts of an invasive species on the threatened endemic biota of a remote RAMSAR site: Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) in Lake Kutubu, Papua New Guinea. Biol Invasions 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/s10530-020-02289-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
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13
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Casetta E. Making sense of nature conservation after the end of nature. HISTORY AND PHILOSOPHY OF THE LIFE SCIENCES 2020; 42:18. [PMID: 32356016 DOI: 10.1007/s40656-020-00312-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2019] [Accepted: 04/22/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
The concept of nature in Western thought has been informed by the assumption of a categorical distinction between natural and artificial entities, which goes back to John Stuart Mill or even Aristotle. Such a way of articulating the natural/artificial distinction has proven unfit for conservation purposes mainly because of the extent and the pervasiveness of human activities that would leave no nature left to be conserved, and alternative views have been advanced. In this contribution, after arguing for the importance of the concept of naturalness as a guide for conservation, I will try to provide an account of the natural/artificial distinction suited to contemporary conservation framing. Focusing on a particular kind of objects that I suggest to name "environmental objects", I propose and defend the view of "naturalness as independence" according to which the more or less an environmental object's identity conditions and survival depend on human intervention, the more or less that object is artificial or natural, respectively. According to this view, conserving environmental objects will equate to maintaining or improving their naturalness (vis-à-vis their artefactualness) or even originating artificial objects that may become new natural objects. This view has the advantage, on the one hand, of providing a rationale for a distinction which is not only part of how people think, but also pervasive in conservation practices and policies and, on the other hand, of accounting for the global pervasiveness of human intervention in the so-called natural world.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elena Casetta
- Department of Philosophy and Education, University of Turin, Turin, Italy.
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14
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Keiper F, Atanassova A. Regulation of Synthetic Biology: Developments Under the Convention on Biological Diversity and Its Protocols. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2020; 8:310. [PMID: 32328486 PMCID: PMC7160928 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2020.00310] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2020] [Accepted: 03/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The primary international forum deliberating the regulation of "synthetic biology" is the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), along with its subsidiary agreements concerned with the biosafety of living modified organisms (LMOs; Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety to the CBD), and access and benefit sharing in relation to genetic resources (Nagoya Protocol to the CBD). This discussion has been underway for almost 10 years under the CBD agenda items of "synthetic biology" and "new and emerging issues relating to the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity," and more recently within the scope of Cartagena Protocol topics including risk assessment and risk management, and "digital sequence information" jointly with the Nagoya Protocol. There is no internationally accepted definition of "synthetic biology," with it used as an umbrella term in this forum to capture "new" biotechnologies and "new" applications of established biotechnologies, whether actual or conceptual. The CBD debates are characterized by polarized views on the adequacy of existing regulatory mechanisms for "new" types of LMOs, including the scope of the current regulatory frameworks, and procedures and tools for risk assessment and risk mitigation and/or management. This paper provides an overview of international developments in biotechnology regulation, including the application of the Cartagena Protocol and relevant policy developments, and reviews the development of the synthetic biology debate under the CBD and its Protocols, including the major issues expected in the lead up to and during the 2020 Biodiversity Conference.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Ana Atanassova
- BASF Belgium Coordination Center, Technologiepark-Zwijnaarde, Ghent, Belgium
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15
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Belén Paredes M, Eugenia Sulen M. An overview of synthetic biology. BIONATURA 2020. [DOI: 10.21931/rb/2020.05.01.14] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Synthetic Biology is the combination of basic sciences with engineering. The aim of Synthetic Biology is to create, design, and redesign biological systems and devices to understand biological processes and to achieve useful and sophisticated functionalities to improve human welfare. When the engineering community took part in the discussion for the definition of Synthetic Biology, the idea of extraction and reassembly of “biological parts” along with the principles of abstraction, modularity, and standardization was introduced. Genetic Engineering is one of the many essential tools for synthetic biology, and even though they share the DNA manipulation basis and approach to intervene in the complexity of molecular biology, they differ in many aspects, and the two terms should not be used interchangeably. Some of the applications that have already been done by Synthetic Biology include the production of 1,4-butanediol (BDO), the antimalarial drug artemisinin, and the anticancer compound taxol. The potential of Synthetic Biology to design new genomes without immediate biological ancestry has raised ontological, political, economic, and ethical concerns based on the possibility that synthetic biology may be intrinsically unethical.
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16
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Conservation and the social sciences: Beyond critique and co‐optation. A case study from orangutan conservation. PEOPLE AND NATURE 2020. [DOI: 10.1002/pan3.10072] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
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Calles J, Justice I, Brinkley D, Garcia A, Endy D. Fail-safe genetic codes designed to intrinsically contain engineered organisms. Nucleic Acids Res 2019; 47:10439-10451. [PMID: 31511890 PMCID: PMC6821295 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkz745] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2019] [Revised: 08/13/2019] [Accepted: 08/19/2019] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
One challenge in engineering organisms is taking responsibility for their behavior over many generations. Spontaneous mutations arising before or during use can impact heterologous genetic functions, disrupt system integration, or change organism phenotype. Here, we propose restructuring the genetic code itself such that point mutations in protein-coding sequences are selected against. Synthetic genetic systems so-encoded should fail more safely in response to most spontaneous mutations. We designed fail-safe codes and simulated their expected effects on the evolution of so-encoded proteins. We predict fail-safe codes supporting expression of 20 or 15 amino acids could slow protein evolution to ∼30% or 0% the rate of standard-encoded proteins, respectively. We also designed quadruplet-codon codes that should ensure all single point mutations in protein-coding sequences are selected against while maintaining expression of 20 or more amino acids. We demonstrate experimentally that a reduced set of 21 tRNAs is capable of expressing a protein encoded by only 20 sense codons, whereas a standard 64-codon encoding is not expressed. Our work suggests that biological systems using rationally depleted but otherwise natural translation systems should evolve more slowly and that such hypoevolvable organisms may be less likely to invade new niches or outcompete native populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan Calles
- Bioengineering Department, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Isaac Justice
- Bioengineering Department, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Detravious Brinkley
- Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, Claflin University, Orangeburg, SC 29115, USA
| | - Alexa Garcia
- Bioengineering Department, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Drew Endy
- Bioengineering Department, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
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Kohl PA, Brossard D, Scheufele DA, Xenos MA. Public views about editing genes in wildlife for conservation. CONSERVATION BIOLOGY : THE JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY FOR CONSERVATION BIOLOGY 2019; 33:1286-1295. [PMID: 30848502 DOI: 10.1111/cobi.13310] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2018] [Revised: 02/25/2019] [Accepted: 03/04/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Developments in CRISPR-based gene-editing technologies have generated a growing number of proposals to edit genes in wildlife to meet conservation goals. As these proposals have attracted greater attention, controversies have emerged among scientists and stakeholder groups over potential consequences and ethical implications of gene editing. Responsible governance cannot occur without consulting broader publics, yet little effort has been made to systematically assess public understandings and beliefs in relation to this new area of applied genetic engineering. We analyzed data from a survey of U.S. adults (n = 1600), collected by YouGov, and that examined respondents' concerns about gene editing in animal and plant wildlife and how those concerns are shaped by cultural dispositions toward science and beliefs about the appropriateness of intervening in nature at the genetic level. On average, respondents perceived more risk than benefit in using these tools. Over 70% agreed that gene editing in wildlife could be "easily used for the wrong purposes." When evaluating the moral acceptability of gene editing in wildlife, respondents evaluated applications to improve survival in endangered wildlife as more morally acceptable than applications to decrease abundance in a population or eliminate a population. Belief in the authority of scientific knowledge was positively related to favorable views of the benefits, risks, and moral acceptability of editing genes in wildlife. The belief that editing genes in wildlife inappropriately intervenes in nature predicted relatively more concern about risks and moral acceptability and skepticism about benefits. Given high levels of concern and skepticism about gene editing in wildlife for conservation among the U.S. public, a take-it-slow approach to making decisions about when or whether to use these tools is advisable. Early opinions, including those uncovered in this study, are likely to be provisional. Thus, consulting the public should be an ongoing process.
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Affiliation(s)
- P A Kohl
- Nicholson School of Communication and Media, University of Central Florida, 12405 Aquarius Agora Dr., Orlando, FL, 32816-1344, U.S.A
- Department of Life Sciences Communication, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1545 Observatory Drive, Madison, WI, 53706, U.S.A
| | - D Brossard
- Department of Life Sciences Communication, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1545 Observatory Drive, Madison, WI, 53706, U.S.A
| | - D A Scheufele
- Department of Life Sciences Communication, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1545 Observatory Drive, Madison, WI, 53706, U.S.A
| | - M A Xenos
- Department of Communication Arts, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 821 University Avenue, Madison, WI, 53706, U.S.A
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19
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Janjic A. Assisted Evolution in Astrobiology-Convergence of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology within the Context of Planetary Colonization. ASTROBIOLOGY 2019; 19:1410-1417. [PMID: 31657949 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2019.2061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
In ecology and conservation biology, the concept of assisted evolution aims at the optimization of the resilience of organisms and populations to changing environmental conditions. What has hardly been considered so far is that this concept is also relevant for future astrobiological research, since in artificial extraterrestrial habitats (e.g., plants and insects in martian greenhouses) novel environmental conditions will also affect the survival and performance of organisms. The question therefore arises whether and how space-relevant organisms can be artificially adapted to the desired circumstances in advance. Based on several adaptation and acclimatization strategies in wild ecosystems of Earth, I discuss which methods can be considered for assisted evolution in the context of astrobiological research. This includes enhanced selective breeding, induction of epigenetic inheritance, and genetic engineering, as well as possible problems of these applications. This short overview article aims to stimulate an emerging discussion as to whether humans, which are already prominent drivers of Earth's evolution, should consider such interventions for future planetary colonization as well.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aleksandar Janjic
- Technical University of Munich, School of Life Sciences Weihenstephan, Freising, Germany
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20
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Coleman MA, Goold HD. Harnessing synthetic biology for kelp forest conservation 1. JOURNAL OF PHYCOLOGY 2019; 55:745-751. [PMID: 31152453 DOI: 10.1111/jpy.12888] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2019] [Accepted: 05/17/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Environmental and climatic change is outpacing the ability of organisms to adapt, at an unprecedented level, resulting in range contractions and global ecosystem shifts to novel states. At the same time, scientific advances continue to accelerate, providing never-before imagined solutions to current and emerging environmental problems. Synthetic biology, the creation of novel and engineered genetic variation, is perhaps the fastest developing and transformative scientific field. Its application to solve extant and emerging environmental problems is vast, at times controversial, and technological advances have outpaced the social, ethical, and practical considerations of its use. Here, we discuss the potential direct and indirect applications of synthetic biology to kelp forest conservation. Rather than advocate or oppose its use, we identify where and when it may play a role in halting or reversing global kelp loss and discuss challenges and identify pathways of research needed to bridge the gap between technological advances and organismal biology and ecology. There is a pressing need for prompt collaboration and dialogue among synthetic biologists, ecologists, and conservationists to identify opportunities for use and ensure that extant research directions are set on trajectories to allow these currently disparate fields to converge toward practical environmental solutions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melinda A Coleman
- Department of Primary Industries, NSW Fisheries, National Marine Science Centre, 2 Bay Drive, Coffs Harbour, New South Wales, 2450, Australia
- Southern Cross University, National Marine Science Centre, 2 Bay Drive, Coffs Harbour, New South Wales, 2450, Australia
- University of Western Australia Oceans Institute and School of Biological Sciences, University of Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia, 6009, Australia
| | - Hugh D Goold
- Department of Primary Industries, Elizabeth Macarthur Agricultural Institute, Woodbridge Road, Menangle, New South Wales, 2568, Australia
- Department of Molecular Sciences, Macquarie University, North Ryde, New South Wales, 2109, Australia
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21
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Heidari Feidt R, Ienca M, Elger BS, Folcher M. Synthetic Biology and the Translational Imperative. SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING ETHICS 2019; 25:33-52. [PMID: 29255953 DOI: 10.1007/s11948-017-0011-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2017] [Accepted: 11/29/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Advances at the interface between the biological sciences and engineering are giving rise to emerging research fields such as synthetic biology. Harnessing the potential of synthetic biology requires timely and adequate translation into clinical practice. However, the translational research enterprise is currently facing fundamental obstacles that slow down the transition of scientific discoveries from the laboratory to the patient bedside. These obstacles including scarce financial resources and deficiency of organizational and logistic settings are widely discussed as primary impediments to translational research. In addition, a number of socio-ethical considerations inherent in translational research need to be addressed. As the translational capacity of synthetic biology is tightly linked to its social acceptance and ethical approval, ethical limitations may-together with financial and organizational problems-be co-determinants of suboptimal translation. Therefore, an early assessment of such limitations will contribute to proactively favor successful translation and prevent the promising potential of synthetic biology from remaining under-expressed. Through the discussion of two case-specific inventions in synthetic biology and their associated ethical implications, we illustrate the socio-ethical challenges ahead in the process of implementing synthetic biology into clinical practice. Since reducing the translational lag is essential for delivering the benefits of basic biomedical research to society at large and promoting global health, we advocate a moral obligation to accelerating translational research: the "translational imperative."
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Affiliation(s)
- Raheleh Heidari Feidt
- Institute for Biomedical Ethics, Universität Basel, Bernoullistrasse 28, 4056, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Marcello Ienca
- Institute for Biomedical Ethics, Universität Basel, Bernoullistrasse 28, 4056, Basel, Switzerland
- Health Ethics & Policy Lab, Department of Health Sciences and Technology (D-HEST), ETH Zürich, Auf der Mauer 17, 8001, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Bernice Simone Elger
- Institute for Biomedical Ethics, Universität Basel, Bernoullistrasse 28, 4056, Basel, Switzerland
- Center for Legal Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Marc Folcher
- Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering (D-BSSE), ETH Zürich, Mattenstrasse 26, 4058, Basel, Switzerland.
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22
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Denton JA, Gokhale CS. Synthetic Mutualism and the Intervention Dilemma. Life (Basel) 2019; 9:E15. [PMID: 30696090 PMCID: PMC6463046 DOI: 10.3390/life9010015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2018] [Revised: 01/09/2019] [Accepted: 01/23/2019] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Ecosystems are complex networks of interacting individuals co-evolving with their environment. As such, changes to an interaction can influence the whole ecosystem. However, to predict the outcome of these changes, considerable understanding of processes driving the system is required. Synthetic biology provides powerful tools to aid this understanding, but these developments also allow us to change specific interactions. Of particular interest is the ecological importance of mutualism, a subset of cooperative interactions. Mutualism occurs when individuals of different species provide a reciprocal fitness benefit. We review available experimental techniques of synthetic biology focused on engineered synthetic mutualistic systems. Components of these systems have defined interactions that can be altered to model naturally occurring relationships. Integrations between experimental systems and theoretical models, each informing the use or development of the other, allow predictions to be made about the nature of complex relationships. The predictions range from stability of microbial communities in extreme environments to the collapse of ecosystems due to dangerous levels of human intervention. With such caveats, we evaluate the promise of synthetic biology from the perspective of ethics and laws regarding biological alterations, whether on Earth or beyond. Just because we are able to change something, should we?
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Affiliation(s)
- Jai A Denton
- Genomics and Regulatory Systems Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology, Onna-son 904-0412, Japan.
| | - Chaitanya S Gokhale
- Research Group for Theoretical models of Eco-Evolutionary Dynamics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology, 24304 Plön, Germany.
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23
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Stakeholder attitudes towards the use of recombinant technology to manage the impact of an invasive species: Sea Lamprey in the North American Great Lakes. Biol Invasions 2018. [DOI: 10.1007/s10530-018-1848-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
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24
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Fuentes M. Biological novelty in the anthropocene. J Theor Biol 2018; 437:137-140. [PMID: 29106992 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtbi.2017.10.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2016] [Revised: 09/06/2017] [Accepted: 10/23/2017] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
It is well known that humans are creating new variants of organisms, ecosystems and landscapes. Here I argue that the degree of biological novelty generated by humans goes deeper than that. We use property rules to create exclusivity in cooperation among humans, and between humans and other biological entities, thus overcoming social dilemmas and breaking barriers to cooperation. This is leading to novel forms of cooperation. One of them is the human control, modification and replication of whole ecosystems. For the first time, there exist ecosystems with functional design, division of labor and unlimited heredity. We use mental representation and language as new mechanisms of inheritance and modification that apply to an increasing variety of biological and non-biological entities. As a result, the speed, depth and scale of biological innovation are unprecedented in the history of life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcelino Fuentes
- Facultade de Ciencias, Universidade da Coruña, A Coruña, 15071 Spain.
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25
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Heywood VH. Plant conservation in the Anthropocene - Challenges and future prospects. PLANT DIVERSITY 2017; 39:314-330. [PMID: 30159525 PMCID: PMC6112326 DOI: 10.1016/j.pld.2017.10.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2017] [Accepted: 10/24/2017] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
Despite the massive efforts that have been made to conserve plant diversity across the world during the past few decades, it is becoming increasingly evident that our current strategies are not sufficiently effective to prevent the continuing decline in biodiversity. As a recent report by the CBD indicates, current progress and commitments are insufficient to achieve the Aichi Biodiversity Targets by 2020. Threatened species lists continue to grow while the world's governments fail to meet biodiversity conservation goals. Clearly, we are failing in our attempts to conserve biodiversity on a sufficient scale. The reasons for this situation are complex, including scientific, technical, sociological, economic and political factors. The conservation community is divided about how to respond. Some believe that saving all existing biodiversity is still an achievable goal. On the other hand, there are those who believe that we need to accept that biodiversity will inevitably continue to be lost, despite all our conservation actions and that we must focus on what to save, why and where. It has also been suggested that we need a new approach to conservation in the face of the challenges posed by the Anthropocene biosphere which we now inhabit. Whatever view one holds on the above issues, it is clear that we need to review the effectiveness of our current conservation strategies, identify the limiting factors that are preventing the Aichi goals being met and at the same time take whatever steps are necessary to make our conservation protocols more explicit, operational and efficient so as to achieve the maximum conservation effect. This paper addresses the key issues that underlie our failure to meet agreed targets and discusses the necessary changes to our conservation approaches. While we can justifiably be proud of our many achievements and successes in plant conservation in the past 30 years, which have helped slow the rate of loss, unless we devise a more coherent, consistent and integrated global strategy in which both the effectiveness and limitations of our current policies, action plans and procedures are recognized, and reflect this in national strategies, and then embark on a much bolder and ambitious set of actions, progress will be limited and plant diversity will continue to decline.
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26
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Wintle BC, Boehm CR, Rhodes C, Molloy JC, Millett P, Adam L, Breitling R, Carlson R, Casagrande R, Dando M, Doubleday R, Drexler E, Edwards B, Ellis T, Evans NG, Hammond R, Haseloff J, Kahl L, Kuiken T, Lichman BR, Matthewman CA, Napier JA, ÓhÉigeartaigh SS, Patron NJ, Perello E, Shapira P, Tait J, Takano E, Sutherland WJ. A transatlantic perspective on 20 emerging issues in biological engineering. eLife 2017; 6:e30247. [PMID: 29132504 PMCID: PMC5685469 DOI: 10.7554/elife.30247] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2017] [Accepted: 10/26/2017] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Advances in biological engineering are likely to have substantial impacts on global society. To explore these potential impacts we ran a horizon scanning exercise to capture a range of perspectives on the opportunities and risks presented by biological engineering. We first identified 70 potential issues, and then used an iterative process to prioritise 20 issues that we considered to be emerging, to have potential global impact, and to be relatively unknown outside the field of biological engineering. The issues identified may be of interest to researchers, businesses and policy makers in sectors such as health, energy, agriculture and the environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bonnie C Wintle
- Centre for the Study of Existential RiskUniversity of CambridgeCambridgeUnited Kingdom
| | - Christian R Boehm
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant PhysiologyPotsdamGermany
- Centre for the Study of Existential RiskUniversity of CambridgeCambridgeUnited Kingdom
| | - Catherine Rhodes
- Centre for the Study of Existential RiskUniversity of CambridgeCambridgeUnited Kingdom
| | - Jennifer C Molloy
- Department of Plant SciencesUniversity of CambridgeCambridgeUnited Kingdom
| | - Piers Millett
- Future of Humanity InstituteUniversity of OxfordOxfordUnited Kingdom
| | - Laura Adam
- Department of Electrical EngineeringUniversity of WashingtonSeattleUnited States
| | - Rainer Breitling
- Manchester Synthetic Biology Research Centre (SYNBIOCHEM), Manchester Institute of BiotechnologyUniversity of ManchesterManchesterUnited Kingdom
| | | | | | - Malcolm Dando
- Division of Peace Studies and the Bradford Centre for International DevelopmentUniversity of BradfordBradfordUnited Kingdom
| | - Robert Doubleday
- Centre for Science and PolicyUniversity of CambridgeCambridgeUnited Kingdom
| | - Eric Drexler
- Future of Humanity InstituteUniversity of OxfordOxfordUnited Kingdom
| | - Brett Edwards
- Department of Politics, Languages & International StudiesUniversity of BathBathUnited Kingdom
| | - Tom Ellis
- Centre for Synthetic Biology and InnovationImperial College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Nicholas G Evans
- Department of PhilosophyUniversity of MassachusettsLowellUnited States
| | | | - Jim Haseloff
- Department of Plant SciencesUniversity of CambridgeCambridgeUnited Kingdom
| | - Linda Kahl
- BioBricks FoundationSan FranciscoUnited States
| | - Todd Kuiken
- Genetic Engineering & Society CenterNorth Carolina State UniversityRaleighUnited States
| | | | | | | | - Seán S ÓhÉigeartaigh
- Centre for the Study of Existential RiskUniversity of CambridgeCambridgeUnited Kingdom
| | | | | | - Philip Shapira
- Manchester Institute of Innovation Research, Alliance Manchester Business SchoolUniversity of ManchesterManchesterUnited Kingdom
- School of Public PolicyGeorgia Institute of TechnologyAtlantaUnited States
| | - Joyce Tait
- Innogen InstituteUniversity of EdinburghEdinburghUnited Kingdom
| | - Eriko Takano
- Manchester Synthetic Biology Research Centre (SYNBIOCHEM), Manchester Institute of BiotechnologyUniversity of ManchesterManchesterUnited Kingdom
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27
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Seddon PJ. De-extinction and Barriers to the Application of New Conservation Tools. Hastings Cent Rep 2017; 47 Suppl 2:S5-S8. [DOI: 10.1002/hast.745] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
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28
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Piaggio AJ, Segelbacher G, Seddon PJ, Alphey L, Bennett EL, Carlson RH, Friedman RM, Kanavy D, Phelan R, Redford KH, Rosales M, Slobodian L, Wheeler K. Is It Time for Synthetic Biodiversity Conservation? Trends Ecol Evol 2017; 32:97-107. [DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2016.10.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 86] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2016] [Revised: 10/20/2016] [Accepted: 10/27/2016] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
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29
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Backus GA, Gross K. Genetic engineering to eradicate invasive mice on islands: modeling the efficiency and ecological impacts. Ecosphere 2016. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.1589] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Gregory A. Backus
- Biomathematics Program North Carolina State University Box 8213 Raleigh North Carolina 27695‐8213 USA
- Zoology Program North Carolina State University Box 8213 Raleigh North Carolina 27695‐8213 USA
| | - Kevin Gross
- Biomathematics Program North Carolina State University Box 8213 Raleigh North Carolina 27695‐8213 USA
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30
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Hewett JP, Wolfe AK, Bergmann RA, Stelling SC, Davis KL. Human Health and Environmental Risks Posed by Synthetic Biology R&D for Energy Applications. APPLIED BIOSAFETY 2016. [DOI: 10.1177/1535676016672377] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Amy K. Wolfe
- Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, USA
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31
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandre Robert
- UMR 7204 MNHN‐CNRS‐UPMC Centre d'Ecologie et des Sciences de la Conservation Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle 43, Rue Buffon 75005 Paris France
| | - Charles Thévenin
- UMR 7204 MNHN‐CNRS‐UPMC Centre d'Ecologie et des Sciences de la Conservation Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle 43, Rue Buffon 75005 Paris France
| | - Karine Princé
- UMR 7204 MNHN‐CNRS‐UPMC Centre d'Ecologie et des Sciences de la Conservation Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle 43, Rue Buffon 75005 Paris France
| | - François Sarrazin
- UPMC Univ Paris 06 Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle CNRS CESCO UMR 7204 Sorbonne Universités 75005 Paris France
| | - Joanne Clavel
- UMR 7204 MNHN‐CNRS‐UPMC Centre d'Ecologie et des Sciences de la Conservation Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle 43, Rue Buffon 75005 Paris France
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32
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Iacona G, Maloney RF, Chadès I, Bennett JR, Seddon PJ, Possingham HP. Prioritizing revived species: what are the conservation management implications of de‐extinction? Funct Ecol 2016. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.12720] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Gwenllian Iacona
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Environmental Decisions School of Biological Sciences University of Queensland Goddard Building 8, St Lucia Qld 4072 Australia
| | - Richard F. Maloney
- Science and Policy Group Department of Conservation Private Bag 4715 Christchurch Mail Centre, Christchurch 8140 New Zealand
| | | | - Joseph R. Bennett
- Department of Biology Carleton University 209 Nesbitt Biology Bldg, 1125 Colonel by Drive Ottawa ON K1S 5B6 Canada
| | - Philip J. Seddon
- Department of Zoology University of Otago 340 Great King Street, PO Box 56 Dunedin 9054 New Zealand
| | - Hugh P. Possingham
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Environmental Decisions School of Biological Sciences University of Queensland Goddard Building 8, St Lucia Qld 4072 Australia
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33
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric Higgs
- School of Environmental Studies; University of Victoria; Victoria British Columbia V8P 5C2 Canada
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34
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Tempels TH, Van den Belt H. Once the rockets are up, who should care where they come down? The problem of responsibility ascription for the negative consequences of biofuel innovations. SPRINGERPLUS 2016; 5:135. [PMID: 27006863 PMCID: PMC4777971 DOI: 10.1186/s40064-016-1758-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2015] [Accepted: 02/12/2016] [Indexed: 12/03/2022]
Abstract
Responsible Innovation (RI) is often heralded in EU policy circles as a means to achieve ethically acceptable, sustainable innovations. Yet, conceptual questions on the specific notion of ‘responsibility’ and to what extent an innovation can be ‘responsible’ are only partly addressed. In this chapter the question of responsibility for the indirect negative effects of biofuel innovations is explored. While initially hailed as one of the much needed solutions in the global struggle against climate change, the use of biofuels has become increasingly criticised. It is argued that the increased production of biofuels has put smallholder farmers out of business, has given rise to increased food prices, sparking food riots in several countries, while also contributing to further environmental degradation as the demand for new biofuels requires the development of new croplands at the cost of forests and peat lands. In the current market-based system it is customary to disburden researchers and business companies from any responsibility for the more remote consequences of their actions. When harmful consequences are brought about through the mediation of (perhaps a long series of) market transactions, they are often considered inevitable and excusable and not an appropriate occasion for invoking anybody’s responsibility. But how broad is the scope of responsibility when it comes to the above mentioned social and ecological problems? By invoking the sacred duty to “innovate”, the business company could perhaps be exculpated. In our age, innovation is often so much celebrated that many negative impacts are duly accepted as the inevitable price of progress. By approaching responsibility from a perspective that takes into account the economic and ecological interconnectedness of the world, we show how the debate on Responsible Innovation in biofuels becomes tied in with global debates on economic justice and bioscarcity. In conclusion we argue that if we—assuming this interconnectedness—take the current requirements of “Responsible” Innovation seriously, it would result in a demanding practice that calls for a substantial departure from business as usual, which prompts the question to what extent it is reasonable to incorporate what are actually demands for global justice in programs for innovation.
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Affiliation(s)
- T H Tempels
- Philosophy Group, School of Social Sciences, Wageningen University, Hollandseweg 1, 6707 KN Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - H Van den Belt
- Philosophy Group, School of Social Sciences, Wageningen University, Hollandseweg 1, 6707 KN Wageningen, The Netherlands
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35
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Schmidt M, de Lorenzo V. Synthetic bugs on the loose: containment options for deeply engineered (micro)organisms. Curr Opin Biotechnol 2016; 38:90-6. [PMID: 26874261 DOI: 10.1016/j.copbio.2016.01.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2015] [Revised: 01/11/2016] [Accepted: 01/12/2016] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Synthetic Biology (SynBio) has brought up again questions on the environmental fate of microorganisms carrying genetic modifications. The growing capacity of editing genomes for deployment of man-made programs opens unprecedented biotechnological opportunities. But the same exacerbate concerns regarding fortuitous or deliberate releases to the natural medium. Most approaches to tackle these worries involve endowing SynBio agents with containment devices for halting horizontal gene transfer and survival of the live agents only at given times and places. Genetic circuits and trophic restraint schemes have been proposed to this end in the pursuit of complete containment. The most promising include adoption of alternative genetic codes and/or dependency on xenobiotic amino acids and nucleotides. But the field has to still overcome serious bottlenecks.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Víctor de Lorenzo
- Systems Biology Program, Centro Nacional de Biotecnología (CNB-CSIC), 28049 Cantoblanco-Madrid, Spain.
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36
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Abstract
Digital technology is changing nature conservation in increasingly profound ways. We describe this impact and its significance through the concept of 'digital conservation', which we found to comprise five pivotal dimensions: data on nature, data on people, data integration and analysis, communication and experience, and participatory governance. Examining digital innovation in nature conservation and addressing how its development, implementation and diffusion may be steered, we warn against hypes, techno-fix thinking, good news narratives and unverified assumptions. We identify a need for rigorous evaluation, more comprehensive consideration of social exclusion, frameworks for regulation and increased multi-sector as well as multi-discipline awareness and cooperation. Along the way, digital technology may best be reconceptualised by conservationists from something that is either good or bad, to a dual-faced force in need of guidance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Koen Arts
- Forest and Nature Conservation Policy Group, Wageningen University, Droevendaalsesteeg 3, 6700 AA, Wageningen, the Netherlands.
- Centro de Pesquisa do Pantanal, Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso, Cuiabá, CEP: 78.068-360, Brazil.
| | - René van der Wal
- Aberdeen Centre for Environmental Sustainability (ACES), School of Biological Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, AB24 3UU, UK
| | - William M Adams
- Department of Geography, University of Cambridge, Downing Place, Cambridge, CB2 3EN, UK
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37
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Science for a wilder Anthropocene: Synthesis and future directions for trophic rewilding research. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2015; 113:898-906. [PMID: 26504218 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1502556112] [Citation(s) in RCA: 226] [Impact Index Per Article: 25.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Trophic rewilding is an ecological restoration strategy that uses species introductions to restore top-down trophic interactions and associated trophic cascades to promote self-regulating biodiverse ecosystems. Given the importance of large animals in trophic cascades and their widespread losses and resulting trophic downgrading, it often focuses on restoring functional megafaunas. Trophic rewilding is increasingly being implemented for conservation, but remains controversial. Here, we provide a synthesis of its current scientific basis, highlighting trophic cascades as the key conceptual framework, discussing the main lessons learned from ongoing rewilding projects, systematically reviewing the current literature, and highlighting unintentional rewilding and spontaneous wildlife comebacks as underused sources of information. Together, these lines of evidence show that trophic cascades may be restored via species reintroductions and ecological replacements. It is clear, however, that megafauna effects may be affected by poorly understood trophic complexity effects and interactions with landscape settings, human activities, and other factors. Unfortunately, empirical research on trophic rewilding is still rare, fragmented, and geographically biased, with the literature dominated by essays and opinion pieces. We highlight the need for applied programs to include hypothesis testing and science-based monitoring, and outline priorities for future research, notably assessing the role of trophic complexity, interplay with landscape settings, land use, and climate change, as well as developing the global scope for rewilding and tools to optimize benefits and reduce human-wildlife conflicts. Finally, we recommend developing a decision framework for species selection, building on functional and phylogenetic information and with attention to the potential contribution from synthetic biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristin Hagen
- EA European Academy of Technology and Innovation Assessment GmbH, Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler, Germany
| | - Margret Engelhard
- EA European Academy of Technology and Innovation Assessment GmbH, Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler, Germany
| | - Georg Toepfer
- Center for Literary and Cultural Research Berlin, Berlin, Germany
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Mahoney G, Stewart AG, Kennedy N, Whitely B, Turner L, Wilkinson E. Achieving attainable outcomes from good science in an untidy world: case studies in land and air pollution. ENVIRONMENTAL GEOCHEMISTRY AND HEALTH 2015; 37:689-706. [PMID: 26049894 DOI: 10.1007/s10653-015-9717-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2014] [Accepted: 05/28/2015] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
Abstract
While scientific understanding of environmental issues develops through careful observation, experiment and modelling, the application of such advances in the day to day world is much less clean and tidy. Merseyside in northwest England has an industrial heritage from the earliest days of the industrial revolution. Indeed, the chemical industry was borne here. Land contamination issues are rife, as are problems with air quality. Through the examination of one case study for each topic, the practicalities of applied science are explored. An integrated, multidisciplinary response to pollution needs more than a scientific risk assessment. The needs of the various groups (from public to government) involved in the situations must be considered, as well as wider, relevant contexts (from history to European legislation), before a truly integrated response can be generated. However, no such situation exists in isolation and the introduction of environmental investigations and the exploration of suitable, integrated responses will alter the situation in unexpected ways, which must be considered carefully and incorporated in a rolling fashion to enable solutions to continue to be applicable and relevant to the problem being faced. This integrated approach has been tested over many years in Merseyside and found to be a robust approach to ever-changing problems that are well described by the management term, "wicked problems".
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Affiliation(s)
- Gary Mahoney
- Sefton Metropolitan Borough Council, Merseyside, UK
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White RL, Sutton AE, Salguero-Gómez R, Bray TC, Campbell H, Cieraad E, Geekiyanage N, Gherardi L, Hughes AC, Jørgensen PS, Poisot T, DeSoto L, Zimmerman N. The next generation ofaction ecology: novel approaches towards global ecological research. Ecosphere 2015. [DOI: 10.1890/es14-00485.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
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Kaebnick GE, Gusmano MK, Murray TH. The ethics of synthetic biology: next steps and prior questions. Hastings Cent Rep 2015; 44:S4-S26. [PMID: 25418704 DOI: 10.1002/hast.392] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
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Martinelli L, Oksanen M, Siipi H. De-extinction: a novel and remarkable case of bio-objectification. Croat Med J 2015; 55:423-7. [PMID: 25165057 PMCID: PMC4157387 DOI: 10.3325/cmj.2014.55.423] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022] Open
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44
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Glaum P, Vandermeer J. Potential for and consequences of naturalized Bt products: Qualitative dynamics from indirect intransitivities. Ecol Modell 2015. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2014.12.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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45
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Brodie JF, Aslan CE, Rogers HS, Redford KH, Maron JL, Bronstein JL, Groves CR. Secondary extinctions of biodiversity. Trends Ecol Evol 2014; 29:664-72. [PMID: 25445878 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2014.09.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 84] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2014] [Revised: 09/25/2014] [Accepted: 09/26/2014] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
Extinctions beget further extinctions when species lose obligate mutualists, predators, prey, or hosts. Here, we develop a conceptual model of species and community attributes affecting secondary extinction likelihood, incorporating mechanisms that buffer organisms against partner loss. Specialized interactors, including 'cryptic specialists' with diverse but nonredundant partner assemblages, incur elevated risk. Risk is also higher for species that cannot either evolve new traits following partner loss or obtain novel partners in communities reorganizing under changing environmental conditions. Partner loss occurs alongside other anthropogenic impacts; multiple stressors can circumvent ecological buffers, enhancing secondary extinction risk. Stressors can also offset each other, reducing secondary extinction risk, a hitherto unappreciated phenomenon. This synthesis suggests improved conservation planning tactics and critical directions for research on secondary extinctions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jedediah F Brodie
- Department of Botany, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4, Canada; Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4, Canada; Biodiversity Research Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver BC, V6T 1Z4, Canada.
| | - Clare E Aslan
- Conservation Education and Science Department, Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, Tucson, AZ 85743, USA
| | - Haldre S Rogers
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Rice University, Houston, TX 77005, USA
| | | | - John L Maron
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Montana, Missoula, MT 59803, USA
| | - Judith L Bronstein
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
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Carroll SP, Jørgensen PS, Kinnison MT, Bergstrom CT, Denison RF, Gluckman P, Smith TB, Strauss SY, Tabashnik BE. Applying evolutionary biology to address global challenges. Science 2014; 346:1245993. [PMID: 25213376 PMCID: PMC4245030 DOI: 10.1126/science.1245993] [Citation(s) in RCA: 153] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Two categories of evolutionary challenges result from escalating human impacts on the planet. The first arises from cancers, pathogens, and pests that evolve too quickly and the second, from the inability of many valued species to adapt quickly enough. Applied evolutionary biology provides a suite of strategies to address these global challenges that threaten human health, food security, and biodiversity. This Review highlights both progress and gaps in genetic, developmental, and environmental manipulations across the life sciences that either target the rate and direction of evolution or reduce the mismatch between organisms and human-altered environments. Increased development and application of these underused tools will be vital in meeting current and future targets for sustainable development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Scott P Carroll
- Department of Entomology, University of California, Davis, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616, USA. Institute for Contemporary Evolution, Davis, CA 95616, USA.
| | - Peter Søgaard Jørgensen
- Center for Macroecology, Evolution and Climate, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, 2100 Copenhagen, Denmark. Center for Macroecology, Evolution and Climate, Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen, 2100 Copenhagen, Denmark.
| | - Michael T Kinnison
- School of Biology and Ecology, University of Maine, Orono, ME 04469, USA
| | - Carl T Bergstrom
- Department of Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - R Ford Denison
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55108, USA
| | - Peter Gluckman
- Centre for Human Evolution, Adaptation and Disease, Liggins Institute, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Thomas B Smith
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA. Center for Tropical Research, Institute of the Environment and Sustainability, University of California, Los Angeles, 619 Charles E. Young Drive East, Los Angeles, 90095-1496, CA
| | - Sharon Y Strauss
- Department of Evolution and Ecology and Center for Population Biology, University of California, Davis, One Shields Avenue, CA 95616, USA
| | - Bruce E Tabashnik
- Department of Entomology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
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Wang Z, Wu X, Peng J, Hu Y, Fang B, Huang S. Artificially constructed quorum-sensing circuits are used for subtle control of bacterial population density. PLoS One 2014; 9:e104578. [PMID: 25119347 PMCID: PMC4132116 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0104578] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2013] [Accepted: 07/15/2014] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Vibrio fischeri is a typical quorum-sensing bacterium for which lux box, luxR, and luxI have been identified as the key elements involved in quorum sensing. To decode the quorum-sensing mechanism, an artificially constructed cell–cell communication system has been built. In brief, the system expresses several programmed cell-death BioBricks and quorum-sensing genes driven by the promoters lux pR and PlacO-1 in Escherichia coli cells. Their transformation and expression was confirmed by gel electrophoresis and sequencing. To evaluate its performance, viable cell numbers at various time periods were investigated. Our results showed that bacteria expressing killer proteins corresponding to ribosome binding site efficiency of 0.07, 0.3, 0.6, or 1.0 successfully sensed each other in a population-dependent manner and communicated with each other to subtly control their population density. This was also validated using a proposed simple mathematical model.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhaoshou Wang
- Institute of Biochemical Engineering, Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
- The Key Lab for Synthetic Biotechnology of Xiamen City, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
| | - Xin Wu
- Institute of Biochemical Engineering, Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
- The Key Lab for Synthetic Biotechnology of Xiamen City, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
| | - Jianghai Peng
- Institute of Biochemical Engineering, Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
| | - Yidan Hu
- Institute of Biochemical Engineering, Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
- The Key Lab for Synthetic Biotechnology of Xiamen City, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
| | - Baishan Fang
- Institute of Biochemical Engineering, Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
- The Key Lab for Chemical Biology of Fujian Province, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
- The Key Lab for Synthetic Biotechnology of Xiamen City, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
- * E-mail:
| | - Shiyang Huang
- Institute of Biochemical Engineering, Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
- The Key Lab for Synthetic Biotechnology of Xiamen City, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
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Rist L, Felton A, Nyström M, Troell M, Sponseller RA, Bengtsson J, Österblom H, Lindborg R, Tidåker P, Angeler DG, Milestad R, Moen J. Applying resilience thinking to production ecosystems. Ecosphere 2014. [DOI: 10.1890/es13-00330.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 73] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
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Affiliation(s)
- Carrie Friese
- Sociology Department, London School of Economics and Political Science, London, United Kingdom
- * E-mail:
| | - Claire Marris
- Department of Social Science, Health and Medicine, King's College London, London, United Kingdom
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Abstract
Synthetic biology is frequently defined as the application of engineering design principles to biology. Such principles are intended to streamline the practice of biological engineering, to shorten the time required to design, build, and test synthetic gene networks. This streamlining of iterative design cycles can facilitate the future construction of biological systems for a range of applications in the production of fuels, foods, materials, and medicines. The promise of these potential applications as well as the emphasis on design has prompted critical reflection on synthetic biology from design theorists and practicing designers from many fields, who can bring valuable perspectives to the discipline. While interdisciplinary connections between biologists and engineers have built synthetic biology via the science and the technology of biology, interdisciplinary collaboration with artists, designers, and social theorists can provide insight on the connections between technology and society. Such collaborations can open up new avenues and new principles for research and design, as well as shed new light on the challenging context-dependence-both biological and social-that face living technologies at many scales. This review is inspired by the session titled "Design and Synthetic Biology: Connecting People and Technology" at Synthetic Biology 6.0 and covers a range of literature on design practice in synthetic biology and beyond. Critical engagement with how design is used to shape the discipline opens up new possibilities for how we might design the future of synthetic biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christina M. Agapakis
- Department of Molecular,
Cell and Developmental Biology and Art
- Science Center, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90095, United States of America
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