Difference between revisions of "Team:Bordeaux/Practices"
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<h3> Ethics aspects about synthetic biology </h3> | <h3> Ethics aspects about synthetic biology </h3> | ||
− | < | + | <h6 align="justify"><i>Before analyzing the ethical aspects of synthetic biology, it seems important to clearly define this new area of biology.</i></h6> |
− | <h5>What is synthetic biology?</h5> | + | <div class="col-lg-6"> |
+ | <h5 align="left" >What is synthetic biology?</h5> | ||
<p align="justify">Synthetic biology is a new field of research in biology which <b>mixes science and engineering</b>. It focuses on the conception and the construction of new reliable functions through the creation of biological systems or the re-engineering of organisms which already exist. The singularity of synthetic biology compared to traditional biology is about engineering live beings to have a <b>predictable behavior</b>. In order to do so, scientists focus on optimizing existing biosynthetic pathways or creating new ones while bypassing or suppressing inefficient pathways in order to increase productivity. | <p align="justify">Synthetic biology is a new field of research in biology which <b>mixes science and engineering</b>. It focuses on the conception and the construction of new reliable functions through the creation of biological systems or the re-engineering of organisms which already exist. The singularity of synthetic biology compared to traditional biology is about engineering live beings to have a <b>predictable behavior</b>. In order to do so, scientists focus on optimizing existing biosynthetic pathways or creating new ones while bypassing or suppressing inefficient pathways in order to increase productivity. | ||
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The organisms which come from these approaches can be used in both industrial applications (for example to produce drugs, biofuels, biomass or biopesticides) and in basic research as tools like biosensors (exemple) or against pollution (exemple). </p> | The organisms which come from these approaches can be used in both industrial applications (for example to produce drugs, biofuels, biomass or biopesticides) and in basic research as tools like biosensors (exemple) or against pollution (exemple). </p> | ||
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+ | <p align="justify"><i>With birth of synthetic biology, many possible fields conducting to different experiments in science permit the intellectual and technical expansion. <b>Bioethics</b> is necessary to prevent researcher about its <b>ethical limits</b>.</i></p> | ||
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+ | <h5 align="center" >The responsibilities of the researcher for synthetic biology</h5> | ||
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+ | <p align="justify">The advances in biotechnology techniques also lead to dangerous possible applications causing a general fear of modified organisms by the public. They may be afraid of the organisms that can be created by synthetic biology, afraid that these organisms will somehow grow out of our control or have unexpected properties and will become dangerous for humanity. Our iGEM team observed this while talking to the general public on the streets of Bordeaux. For more information, look at our policy and practices page. | ||
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+ | In order to limit this fear, the question of transparency is important for scientists. Besides publishing his results, the researcher has to be able to explain his research process and the challenges of the project by stating the explored and the ignored areas. The general audience has to be able to understand his whole scientific approach. The results found, thanks to this approach, contribute to the production of new knowledge and innovation that could be shared to the general public. It is also important for the researcher to analyze his results, looking at the possible negative impacts of his research and estimating the safety and environmental risks and as well the ethical problematic.</p> | ||
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+ | </div> | ||
Revision as of 21:49, 31 July 2015