Deep Dive: The Genetic Revolution, Unintended Consequences, and the Public Trust
Setup
New genetic technologies have the potential to cure disease, alleviate hunger, and lead a clean energy revolution. But with these powerful new possibilities come with a range of consequences and ethical questions. Such questions might in theory be addressed in interdisciplinary, transparent settings. But the current system of scientific discovery encourages siloed work from small teams working in isolation (and often in competition) — an approach that can lead to duplication and waste, but which could prove quite dangerous. After all, individuals are highly unlikely to recognize the broader consequences of their work without help from outside. But people who specialize in looking for these dangerous synergies often only find out about new technologies once they’ve already been developed and published, at which point it’s probably too late to meaningfully intervene. All of this takes place against a backdrop of public skepticism about genetic engineering and a belief that technologies often become available before their consequences are understood. So what should scientists do to build trust and get moral consensus around the scientific questions that will shape the future of life on earth?
Speakers
-
Lee RainieDirector, Internet, Science, and Technology Research, Pew Research Ce... -
Michael SpecterStaff Writer, The New Yorker -
Kevin EsveltAssistant Professor and Director, Sculpting Evolution Group, MIT Media... -
Christina AgapakisCreative Director, Ginkgo Bioworks -
Drew EndyBioengineering Professor, Stanford University -
Alondra NelsonDean of Social Science, Professor of Sociology, Columbia University -
Nita FarahanyProfessor of Law and Philosophy and Director, Duke Science & Society,... -
Hank (Henry) GreelyDeane F. and Kate Edelman Johnson Professor of Law and Director, Cente...
- 2017 Festival
- Technology
- Health
Explore More
Technology
Soon, we may be able to visualize any biological process in the human body, at any scale, in real time. Here’s what it will take to get there. Presented by Chan Zuckerberg Ini...
Katie Keith is director of the Health Policy and the Law Initiative at Georgetown University Law Center, where she is adjunct professor of law. Keith’s analysis focuses on way...
Watch select daily livestreams and join the virtual #AspenIdeasHealth conversation from June 22-25!
Neurologist Anjan Chatterjee explains why humans evolved to enjoy beauty, how sociocultural contexts shape our aesthetic preferences, and the "beauty is good" stereotype.
Race, ethnicity, age, sex, environment, and other social determinants of health can all impact how different people respond to the same medicine or vaccine. This is why divers...
"My organization in Tulsa is making pregnancy tests, emergency contraception, and condoms available, but these solutions need to be scaled and distributed more broadly." Laura...
"As long as my existence as a Black physician is noteworthy, communities of underrepresented minorities’ health will suffer." Jabraan Pasha, a 2022 Aspen Healthy Communities F...
Meet Lea Masamo, a 2022 Aspen Ideas: Health Fellow who's building a movement of people living with sickle cell disease to advocate for programs and policies needed to improve...
Meet Kistein Monkhouse, a 2022 Aspen Ideas: Health Fellow who's bridging gaps in patient/provider communication with a storytelling app that empowers people to own the narrati...
Meet Neale Batra, a 2022 Aspen Ideas: Health Fellow who's on a mission make the field of epidemiology more efficient, collaborative, and equitable through open-source software...
Meet Lucy He, a 2022 Aspen Ideas: Health Fellow who's using technology and policy change to address critical delays in patient care caused by the "prior authorization" process...
Can the data collected through smartphones, wearable sensors, and passive monitoring devices be turned into actionable knowledge about the environmental impacts on our health?...
Hospitals and health systems have a critical role to play in turning health equity talk into action. Learn how the field is using strategic investments to drive innovative sol...
From blockchain to back to school and virus-hunting to bridging divides, speakers at the 2021 Aspen Ideas Festival addressed issues in a new kind of world—one touched, and cha...
Did you know that only 7% of the investments made within the $715 billion global impact investing market go toward health? Learn how Johnson & Johnson Impact Ventures is leadi...
