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Atoms, Basepairs, Bits, Genes and Neurons: Ultimate designer tools

Berlin Walls are crumbling: a lot of work for the WCC

for WCC Global Consultation in South Africa December 2007Dr. Gregor Wolbring

Webpage:www.bioethicsanddisability.orgBiweekly column:

http://www.innovationwatch.com/commentary_choiceisyours.htm

NBICS Blog:http://wolbring.wordpress.com/

gwolbrin@ucalgary.caGregor.Wolbring@asu.edu

gwolbrin@uottawa.ca

Dept. Community Health Sciences,Program Community Rehabilitation and Disability Studies

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Synthetic Biology

is A) the design and construction of new biological parts, devices, and systems, andB) the re-design of existing, natural biological systems for useful purposes.

Building Genomes base by base

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Synthetic Biology

“As a step toward propagation of synthetic genomes, we completely replaced the genome of a bacterial cell with one from another species by transplanting a whole genome as naked DNA.

A 381 genes entailing genome with more than 500000 base pairs was synthesized

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Humans that photosynthesize Superefficient agriculture via altered nutrient uptake (nitrogen fixing

plants, etc) New biological pathways Biologically compatible miniature cameras Reversal of Aging Disease Fighting Implantable living battery for medical device. out of electric eel cells. beneficial bacterial infections programmed to augment immunity, provide

needed vitamins, etc. cells that circulate in the body (extension of immune system) custom drugs in vivo drug regulated production cybernetics self repair bodies external human processing Programmed Organisms Controlled crop maturing (count days) chemically controlled pets changing behavior programmable pets biological robots syntho-eukaryotic cell living self-repairing materials (inhabited by colony of engineered cells) make materials (e.g. table top) that change shape on command

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Nanotechnology

Molecular Manufacturing= Star Trek Food Replicator= Manufacture something from atomic molecules

Nanobot/Replicator (Star Gate SG1)

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Nanotechnology

Nanoscale research and development

products, ideas and processes with controlled size below 300nm some say 100nm.

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What are Nanoscale sciences?

Neuro-engineering Synthetic biology Longevity/immortality research Molecular Manufacturing Manipulation of animals Material science Geo-engineering….. Any modification of the internals of biological

systems like your body Biotechnology Chemistry

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NBICS Convergence on the Nanoscale

Nanoscience and Nanotechnology Biotechnology and Biomedicine, including

Genetic engineering; Information Technology, including advanced

Computing and Communications; Cognitive Science (neuro eng.) Synthetic Biology

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My Column Nano Drug delivery systems November 15 NanopharmaceuticalsOctober 15 NBICS and Bionics September 15 Synthetic Biology 3.0 [July 15, 2007] In Vitro Meat [May 15, 2007] Neurodiversity, Neuroenhancement, Neurodisease, and Neurobusiness

[April 30, 2007] Nanomedicine [March 30, 2007] Enhancement of Animals [March 15, 2007] Nano Cancer Treatments [February 28, 2007] Robotics, Artificial Intelligence, Sentient Rights,

Speciesism, and Uploading the Mind [February 15, 2007] Brain Machine Interfaces [November 30, 2006] Artificial Hippocampus, the Borg Hive Mind,

and Other Neurological Endeavors [November 15, 2006] NBICS Military Products January 30 Nano-forestry October 15. Nanowater 30. August Nanofood 31. July

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The crumbling of Berlin Walls Moving from dissecting life towards designing/building life

base-pair by base-pair Moving from nature based commodities (i.e. cooper,

rubber) towards nanoformulated commodities towards atomic commodities (molecular manufacturing), designing non biological matter atom by atom

Moving from Species-typical functioning to Beyond species-typical functioning

Moving from a finite life towards an infinite life; designing Longevity/Immortality

Disembodiment of cognition Para-Olympics become the Olympics and vice versa Change in the meaning of health, disability and

impairment, the generation of new social groups (techno poor impaired and disabled)

Moving from curative to enhancement medicine? Moving from human rights to sentient rights?

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WCC impacted by NEST

every aspects of its work and self understanding– Trade, (molecular manufacturing),– human security (water, climate, energy, food, …), – health and healing, justice (ability divide),– weapons, peace, – poverty reduction, social cohesion, – interpretation of faith, religious and theological

concepts, – the relationship and reconciliation between different

churches, denominations and faiths and in the end every being on earth.

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Transhumanism Ableism

Two social concept

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Ableism As used within the disabled people

rights framework means favorism of species typical normative

abilities while labeling ‘sub normative’, ‘less able’ people as ‘impaired’ as in a diminished state of being with the accompanying discriminatory and other negative reactions

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Ableism Ableism is one of the most societal entrenched

and accepted isms and one of the biggest enabler for other isms

Ableism against the traditional disabled people Ableism against ‘traditional non-disabled

people’ Sexism Racism/Ethnicism/ Caste-ism Age-ism

Ableism driven Speciesism Ableism driven Anti-Environmentalism Gross domestic product (GDP)-ism Consumerism

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A term coined by Julian Huxley in 1957 (First General Secretary of UNESCO)

By now a social movement is based on the premise that the human

species in its current form does not represent the end of our development but rather a comparatively early phase”. Word Transhumanist Association

The intellectual and cultural movement that affirms the possibility and desirability of fundamentally improving the human condition through applied reason, especially by developing and making widely available technologies to eliminate aging and to greatly enhance human intellectual, physical, and psychological capacities”

Transhumanism

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Transhumanized Form of Ableism (human related)

sees human body as limited and defective perceived humans

– in need of constant improvement beyond species-typical boundaries

– as being in a diminished state of being if they are not enhanced beyond human species typical abilities

Exhibits disabling, discriminatory and other negative reactions towards the subnormative and species typical humans

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What is Health? Includes social well being Or is limited to mean medical health Medical model (identity, bodily reality part of a person)

– Medical determinants interventions– Social determinants/medical health interventions– Social determinants/ social well-being

Social model (identity, bodily reality part of a person)– Social determinants/ social well-being

Transhumanized Model (identity, bodily reality part of a person)– Transhumanized medical determinant interventions– Transhumanized social determinant interventions– Transhumanized social determinant/social well being interventions

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Transhumanist model of health

Health in this model is the concept of having obtained

maximum (at any given time) enhancement (improvement) of

one’s abilities, functioning and body structure beyond species

typical boundaries.• All Homo sapiens bodies – no matter how

conventionally“medically healthy” – are in ill medical health in need

of constantimprovement

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Health Policy ChallengeFrom medicalization to transhumanization of

medicalization?

Medicalization of Health/Healthy Medicalization of health care Medicalization of the Ethics approval Transhumanization of

medicalization=Enhancement beyond species-typical body structures and functioning is a Therapeutic intervention

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Public Health Challenge:What to do with the top 10?

Top 10 Biotechnologies for Improving Health in Developing Countries the synthetic biology equivalent Daar AS, Thorsteinsdottir H, Martin DK, Smith AC, Nast S, Singer PA: Top 10 biotechnologies for improving health in developing countries. Nat Genet 2002, 32:229-232.

Top 10 nanotechnology applications for development Salamanca-Buentello et al. 2005:e97

Top 10 Regenerative Medicine Regenerative Medicine and the Developing World Heather L. Greenwood, Peter A. Singer, Gregory P. Downey, Douglas K. Martin, Halla Thorsteinsdóttir, Abdallah S. Daar*PLoS Medicine | www.plosmedicine.org 1496 September 2006 | Volume 3 | Issue 9 | e381

The synthetic biology equivalent can be found on a variety of webpages

Where are the top 10 social changes needed?

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Human Security Military economic security food security, health security, environmental security, personal security, community security, political security,

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Human Security

Cultural Identity Security, Biological Diversity Security, Self Identity Security, Ability Security

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Self Identity Security/Versus Genetic surveillance

Keyword Google Scholar Google

“Genetic risk” “Down Syndrome”

1,490 46,300

“Genetic probability” “Down Syndrome”

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risk “Down Syndrome” 22,600 1,790,000

Probability “Down Syndrome”

5210 162,000

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Self Identity Security/Versus Genetic surveillance

Keyword Google

Portuguese

"Sindrome de down” "risco genético" 229

"Sindrome de down” “probabilidade genética”

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"Sindrome de down” "risco" 127000

"Sindrome de down” “probabilidade” 20800

Spanish

"Sindrome de down” "riesgo genético" 440

"Sindrome de down” "probabilidad genética"

0

"Sindrome de down” “riesgo” 219000

"Sindrome de down” “probabilidad” 49000

German

"Genetisches Risiko" "Down Syndrom" 15000

"Genetische Wahrscheinlichkeit" "Down Syndrom"

0

"Risiko" "Down Syndrom" 133100

"Wahrscheinlichkeit" "Down Syndrom" 30100

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Down syndrome, redefined Down syndrome is a naturally occurring

chromosomal arrangement that has always been a part of the human condition.

Down syndrome is not a disease, disorder, defect or medical condition.

Down syndrome itself does not require either treatment or prevention.

Position Statement on Redefining Down Syndrome Approved November 2003 Canadian Down Syndrome Society

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A Tool

The BIAS FREE Framework: A practical tool for identifying and eliminating social biases in health research

Building an Integrative Analytical System for Recognizing and Eliminating in-Equities.

By Mary Anne Burke and Margrit Eichler. 2006. 64 pages. ISBN 2-940286-43-4

http://www.globalforumhealth.org/Site/002__What%20we%20do/005__Publications/010__BIAS%20FREE.php

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Transhumanization of Theological Concepts

• Transhumanization of Imago Dei and Irenaean • Transhumanization of God’s Children• Transhumanization of the Blemish Concept• Transhumanization of the language of perfection• Transhumanization of the Dignity Concept• Transhumanization of CoCreators , Creatio

Continua • Transhumanization of ‘Culture of Death’

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GOD

• The Male GOD (gender/female oppression)• The White GOD (colonial oppression)• The normative able GOD (numerous applications)• The impaired GOD (on the crucifix and later)• The disabled GOD (discriminated, hunted down)• The transhumanist GOD (in relation to normative

humans)

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Thank you Hebrews 12:13-14 13"Make level paths for your feet,"[a] so that

the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed

Wolbring (2007) The triangle of new and emerging technologies, disabled people and the World Council of Churches; Able-ism: A prerequisite for transhumanism an e-book by the World Council of Churches http://www.bioethicsanddisability.org/wcc.html

Science, Faith & New Technologies: Transforming Life Volume I Convergent technologies http://wcc-coe.org/wcc/what/jpc/pa-booklet-nano1.pdf

Science, Faith & New Technologies: Transforming Life Volume II http://wcc-coe.org/wcc/what/jpc/pa-booklet-bio.pdf Genetics, Agriculture and Human Life