Matt James offers some thoughts and reflections on a new TV series which promises to introduce us to new developments in science and technology and get us thinking about the future.
Billed as a “glimpse of the future”, Brave New World with Stephen Hawkingis a new Channel 4 series on Monday evenings and aims to showcase the latest in science, technology and innovation.
Biology
“The future is exciting” exclaims Mark Evans towards the end of this episode. Indeed, as this five part series of Brave New World (BNW) draws to a close it has certainly helped to demonstrate and communicate some of that excitement and the wonders which could await us in the future. Undoubtedly the series will not have been everyone’s cup of tea from content (too little, too light) to approach (too basic, nothing really new). Nevertheless in terms of actually getting people to think about the future and become informed on some of what they may have previously deemed simply science fiction it has to be applauded.
The final episode of the series addressed the theme of biology and how advances in our understanding of how cells work are promising significant breakthrough in terms of life as we know it. In today’s culture and within the lifetimes of parents and grandparents, antibiotics may well be considered to be one of the defining discoveries of our times in helping to significantly minimise death by infectious diseases. As we turn to our attention towards what is to come, the future of medicine looks set to be built upon advances in genomics, cell biology, nanomedicine and synthetic biology.
Highlights
As this week’s episode of BNW so clearly demonstrates through its many segments, the ideas and imaginations of both scientists and public are focused around the developments in the life sciences and their application in biotechnology, with their hope of widespread cures for inherited and degenerative diseases. Tapping the oceans for chemicals which could provide a cure for breast cancer, Mark Evans helps to highlight how the oceans are providing an expanding frontier for research in this area. The revolutionary achievements presented by synthetic biology are addressed by Richard Dawkins and Aarathi Prasad as they learn how E.Coli can be used to produce biofuels. The challenge of an ageing population presents a broad mix of questions which call for our increasing attention. Aarathi Prasad explores work into trying to decode the genetic code in order to not necessarily learn how we can live longer, but whether there is a genetic basis for why we may die earlier. Keeping with the genetics theme, over recent years there continues to be much said about the interrelationship between nurture and nature. Robert Winston explores the relatively new field of epigenetics and how behaviour and environment may well have an impact on future generations in ways previously unimagined. Finally, astronaut and neurologist Roberta Bondar picks up on the drive towards regenerative medicine as she explores pioneering work on mice and the science of heart regeneration to see whether or not this type of work could work in humans too.
Biotech century
As this episode demonstrates the biotech century raises new questions but they reframe old dilemmas. The biggest challenges for the “biotech century” lie in how these technologies enable us to possess significant new powers over living things, and especially over human life. “Biotechnology” – which means literally the “technology of life” – is fast growing at the interface of the life sciences, medicine, and business and beyond. It would seem that on a weekly basis new advancements are being made, which in turn have far reaching consequences well beyond just the domains of science or medicine. These pertinent issues affect the central understanding of human rights, of human life and existence. Because there is a lack of instant solutions or answers, a contentious balancing act ensues between freedom of research, the duty to heal and the duty to protect human life and dignity, which at times seem impossible to reconcile.
Given the theme of this episode is on ‘life’ I want to highlight two themes which feature in this final episode and which helpfully point to the beginning and end of life: synthetic biology and ageing and how acquiring new powers through biotech look set to impact upon these two ‘bookends’ of human life.
Ageing
When it comes to the issue of ageing global trends are clear: people are living longer. Age UK reports that nearly 14 million people in the UK are aged 60 or over, with 1.4 million of these aged 85 or over[1] . Falling birth rates only help to further compound the effects which an ageing population pose.
In the UK, despite people over 65 representing over 80% of all deaths, health services are not meeting our needs at the end of life. We are living longer, but we are not living healthier for longer. As Dr. Guy Brown argues, the deaths we are dying today are unnatural and should be resisted by research into aging and dementia. We should seek medicine that does not turn acute diseases into chronic ones, but that maximises life . This would require an increased focus on funding for solutions to chronic disease as well as acute disease. Ageing is an issue which cannot be ignored and one which will undoubtedly cause us all to assess our attitudes towards an ageing population and address moral, ethical and social questions concerning medical care.
Putting to one side the aspirations or dreams of immortality which can often distract, Prasad’s report on understanding genetics and the work into how we age superbly demonstrates this move towards wanting to harness the power of biotech to live longer, healthier lives. Facing the challenging of more people living longer, we need to consider and understand what it means to be human and how technology can serve us in our human experience, empowering people and maximising life as opposed to allow them to live out a degrading, chronic experience. Gaining an understanding of why we may die early, as the work which Prasad’s observes, looks set to help in this.
Synthetic Biology
In a similar manner, advances in synthetic biology within the last couple of years, notably characterised by Craig Venter’s creation of a living cell controlled entirely by synthetic DNA, help to focus our attention all the more on the immense power certain biotechnologies are helping to give us. Literally manipulating and building biology from the bottom up, synbio marks a shift from simply understanding biological systems to actually creating new ones.
Understandably, there are a great many applications for this kind of technology, not least that of biofuels which is covered in this episode of BNW. In fact it is interesting to consider why BNW decided to highlight the application of synbio in the context of biofuels. It is certainly one of the less controversial applications of this new technology and therefore may have been one of the reasons why. Nevertheless, whichever angle you take, there remain profound long term questions and implications given the transforming nature of synbio. In many respects the BNW episode did very little to help highlight them but they are worth considering.
First, the question of risk. In a similar manner to nanotechnologies, synthetic biology presents us with the opportunity to create life from the smallest component up – literally termed ‘bottom up’ enabling properties. Consequently technologies of this nature possess risk profiles which are profoundly unclear and the tendency can therefore be to opt for tighter monitoring or even to shut down and keep a tight rein on future advances and development in this area. Inevitably this can also mean stifling innovation and research at the same time which could help fill knowledge gaps in order to better understand the technology. It basically boils down to how much risk the public are prepared to tolerate. We seem to embrace all the benefits of the motor car, despite the many accidents caused by them each year. Where do the transforming technologies such as synbio sit on our spectrum of risk?
Second, abuse. In a nut shell – what happens when something goes wrong? The fact that we can potentially take natural life in our own hands and manipulate it to our own ends is something that cannot be underplayed. What are the implications of synthetically created life being released into the environment? What happens if redesigned bacteria and viruses are loosed into the environment? How does synthetic biology change the landscape of terrorist activity as well as governance of new technologies both at the national and trans–national level?
On the one hand, this could well mean that it is all the more difficult to implement commercial or governmental control, creating a fresh take on democratic life in the global village. Conversely, it could also lead to asymmetry; enduring strife and conflict arising from a lack of coordination across disciplines and constituencies. The power to create new organisms and/or modified organisms undoubtedly present interesting opportunities for the developing world, in terms of improving food production in poor agricultural conditions. Conversely, it could also impact upon local industries if synthetically created alternatives could be made more cheaply and in larger quantities in the developed world. As shown in the episode of BNW, the potential of synbio to help develop biofuels is great. But perhaps the more significant question is whether or not it will become a fuel that the rich world has a monopoly on due to the necessary resources and knowledge base required to make them.
Long term engagement is the key to this technology as it offers asymmetric tools that lie far beyond the imagination of former generations. Smart teenage bio–terrorists developing bio–weapons in their parent’s garage could just be the tip of the iceberg.
Thirdly, our human experience. Careful consideration and appreciation needs to be given to the impact of synbio not only in terms of how it may well affect the design of individuals but also the nature and scope of the human experience. We would do well to keep eugenics and the history of Nazi Germany in mind as we consider this subset of questions. Alternative terms and phrases may well be used in future to try and loose the historical connections with eugenics and sanitise its use, but the same issues look set to arise now as they did surrounding developments in genetics a century ago as we weigh up these new powers which biotechnology could afford us.
Let’s not be dazzled by the wonder of advances so much that we do not give the necessary time to ask the right questions about how it will change how we do life in the future. As we take hold of new technology which allows us to do more, we also take to ourselves more power to transform ourselves and our world. The danger can be that as we increase in power and realise who we can be through our own efforts; we turn ourselves into creatures of our own design, artefacts of our own manufacture. As C.S. Lewis argued in 1943, technology is said to extend the power of the human race but, “what we call Man’s power over Nature turns out to be a power exercised by some men over other men with Nature as its instrument….Each new power won by Man is a power over Man as well”.
Conclusion
I return to the quote made by Mark Evans and quoted at the start of this short commentary. Evans comments that as he surveys the achievements and direction of science and technology, he believes the future to be exciting. I would agree with him, it is. But given the excitement is conjours up, it also deserves our long term strategic thinking now.
This series of BNW has helped to showcase and inform us of just some of the exciting developments in science and technology and how they impact upon the kind of future world we could look forward to living in. Nevertheless, the bigger, long term questions now arise and demand our attention if we are to harness our power with responsibility. At the same time as comprehending the gravity of the situation, it is also where I believe the real excitement kicks in.
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Brave New World with Stephen Hawking was a new five part series which aired on Channel 4 through October to November 2011. Some episodes may still be available online at Channel 4OD.
Matt James wrote a series of short comment pieces on each programme, which sought to briefly summarise each programme and offer a set of short reflections on each of the programmes.
[1] Age UK, The Agenda for Later Life, http://www.ageuk.org.uk/Documents/EN-GB/For-professionals/Agenda%20for%20Later%20Life%202011%20-%20policy%20and%20ageing.pdf?dtrk=true
