Excursion

Between scientific breakthroughs and challenges.

Organized by team from Archaea Biology and Ecogenomics Division (University of Vienna), Department of Science and Technology Studies (University of Vienna) and “transform! europe”.

The international symposium begins with a timeline history of CRISPR and genome editing technology. Next Biology students from Vienna playfully present potential future scenarios. The audience can respond and vote via an app which displays the feedback to the main screen; this creates lively debate, some laughs and criticisms such as towards the stereotyping of female characters in scenarios of scientific understanding. 

The panel of the program comes from a range of specialisms and organizations, for example The Institute for Cancer research, Vienna, Global 2000, Open Science, Vienna, Harvard and Vienna Biocentre.

Usual suspects such as GMO and genome edited crops, gene pools and designer babies raise their heads, yet we are also taken into some details such as the process of ‘tricking cells’ and somatic cells vs. gene cells. Sticky and blurry borders between or in and around nature/culture, intervention/interaction are discussed. We are asked to ponder “What happens when you can’t tell the difference between exploitation and therapy?” and “Who’s dreams are these?”. 

Christiane Druml (Chair of Austrian Bioethics Commission, University Vienna) gives her angle from a law perspective on the topic ‘Genome editing: Between risk, precaution and ethics’. Whilst within the debate on ‘Genome editing and the commons. Who takes care?’ Guiseppe Testa (European Institute of Oncology, Milan) gave an analysis of the neoliberal characteristics of genetic modification today; highlighting how the digitalization of education has created a digital gaze at competative and performative genetics, emphasizing how the DNA in text form, available to programming effects our epistemiological relation and actions towards genetic determination. Testa references the book ‘Life out of Sequence: A data-driven history of bioinformatics’. In the discussion titled ‘Patenting and what about social justice’ Shobita Parthasarathay (University of Michegan) points out the qualitative aspects of governance or government, commons or nations and how disillusionment with politics effects scientific ethics and development. Karin Garber gives her perspective on participatory science with the public and opens an invite to Vienna open lab.