Science and Technology changing Society Flashcards
Name the three laws of robotics (by Isaac Asimov)
- Robots must never harm human beings or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.
- Robots must follow instructions from humans without violating rule 1.
- Robots must protect themselves without violating the other rules.
What are some Pros of Robots/AI?
-“unlimited” memory
- could be beneficial in eldercare (dull duties, tasks that failing memories make difficult)
- military advantages (use in bomb disposal and surveillance to protect soldiers’ lives)
What are some Cons of Robots/AI?
-“some very smart human things can be done in dumb ways by machines”
- Eldercare: a robot would not fulfill the human need of love and human contact.
- armed robots (AI systems can’t discriminate between a combatant and an innocent)
- lack of ethical guidelines
How can you define artifical intelligence?
- The Science of making machines do things that lead us to believe they are intelligent.
- It is the person who designs the algorithms and programs the machine who is intelligent, not the machine itself
- Intelligence requires creativity, the ability of problem solving and thinking of new things. A computer can simply act on what has been fed to him.
Define Genetic engineering
direct manipulation of an organism’s genetic make up
What does GMO stand for?
genetically modified organisms
When and what was the first GMO?
1973: bacteria
GM food
- since 1994
- herbicide resistant or better nutritional values
What are the capabilitys of stem cells?
- to develop into any kind of cell
- to reproduce themselves many times over
What is the difference between stem cells in embryos and in adults?
- in embryos: develop into various body parts
- in adults: repair cells damaged e.g. by injury
What is an ethically controversial fact about stem cell research?
pluripotent embryonic stem cells are taken from “leftover” fertilised embryos in fertility clinics
(In many countries strictly regulated or banned)
Define cloning
(the process of) producing genetically identical cells and organisms
What are the two types of cloning?
- therapeutic cloning
- reproductive cloning
How does therapeutic cloning work?
-aims to manipulate stem cells to develop into tissues or whole organs needed for e.g. transplants
-Ethics: an embryo is destroyed
How does reproductive cloning work?
- a cloned embryo would be transplanted into an unterus for development and natural birth
- ethics: forbidden on humans in most countrys
What are some Pros of genetic engeneering?
- healthy babies
- less abortions
- helpful in terms of labour
- stopping genetic diseases
- stopping the spread of dangerious diseases (modified mosquitos immune to malaria)
What are some cons of genetic engeneering?
- eugenics (will be very accessible very soon)
- expensive
- loss of diversity
- a reason to discriminate against people
- marketing
- unintended consequences
- weeding out babies with incurable diseases (fuels the view that lives of people with disabilities or genetic diseases are somehow less worthy)
- ethical problems (attempt to play God)
What is a Gene Drive?
a way to pass on the gene to the offspring 100%
Who are the Inventors of CRISPR and what makes them special?
- Biochemist Jennifer Doudna (US) & Microbiologist Emmanuella Charpentier (F)
- won Nobel Prize, first one only shared by women
- received the Nobel prize only 8 years after their discovery
How did they find out about CRISPS?
- while examining streptucoccus-Bakteria
- were actually trying to develop a new antibiotics
What are the steps of the CRISPR method?
- Locating target
- Cutting
- Repairing
How does CRISPR work/ why is it revolutionary?
It makes the selective modifications of the DNA at preselected sequences in the genome possible
What is the first step of the CRISPR-Method?
Locating target:
- CRISPR-System recognises the target through the help of the guide RNA
- target: specific DNA-Sequence (supposed to get rewritten)
- the guide-RNA and the DNA of the target fit together perfectly
What is the second step of the CRISPR-Method?
Cutting:
the Cas 9-Protein linked to the CRISPR-section cuts out the exact preselected sequence of the DNA-String
(double sequence DNA cleavage, Crispr-Cas-genetic scissors)
What is the third step of the CRISPR-Method?
Repairing:
the repair-system of the cell put the string back together
How does CRISPR help?
- scientists are able to study the function of genes more easily
- Plants can be changed to protect themselves from parasites and droughts better (custimised crops)
- in medicine: CRISPR makes new cancer therapies/treatments and the healing of heriditary diseases possible
- stopping the spread of dengerious diseases (genetically modified mosquito, which is immune to malaria)
How was CRISPR abused?
- In China the first genetically changed human was born
- Ethics: comitees are now supposed to monitor experiments and studys
