Biotechnology can be beautiful | Keira Havens | TEDxFrankfurt

Summary

The speaker discusses their journey in biotechnology, starting from science and military service to founding a startup. They emphasize making biotechnology not only functional but beautiful, using genetically modified organisms (GMOs) to create innovations like color-changing flowers. The talk explores the challenges of public perception around GMOs and biotechnology, stressing the importance of design, creativity, and cultural engagement. By integrating science with beauty and addressing societal concerns, the speaker believes biotechnology can be transformative and positively impact the world.

Takeaways

• 🌱 The speaker emphasizes the transformative potential of biotechnology, especially in altering how we interact with the natural world.
• 🔬 The speaker's journey spans from science, military service, and startups, leading to the creation of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) that are both functional and aesthetically pleasing.
• 🌸 One of the speaker's key projects involves engineering flowers that change color, making biotechnology more accessible and visually appealing.
• 🧬 The speaker highlights the importance of making GMOs beautiful, a departure from the negative stereotypes and fears often associated with biotechnology.
• 👨‍🔬 Through examples like insulin and chymosin production, the speaker showcases how biotechnology can replace gruesome traditional methods, making the process more efficient and humane.
• 💻 Data-driven technology, like Watson's ability to process scientific research, will revolutionize biotechnology by broadening knowledge and speeding up experimentation.
• 🍠 The speaker contrasts two approaches to solving vitamin A deficiency: promoting orange sweet potatoes in Africa through cultural engagement, and genetically modifying rice in Asia without similar outreach, leading to resistance.
• 🌍 To create beautiful biotechnology, it’s essential to consider the broader ecosystem, including pollinators and the environmental impact of the modified organisms.
• 🎨 The speaker notes the strong interest from artists in color-changing flowers, highlighting how biotechnology can inspire creativity and challenge cultural fears around GMOs.
• 🌸 The central message is a call to rethink GMOs, emphasizing that well-designed, thoughtful biotechnology can be both beautiful and impactful in solving real-world problems.

Q & A

What is the main message the speaker is trying to convey in their TEDx talk?

The speaker emphasizes that biotechnology, particularly genetically modified organisms (GMOs), can be beautiful, transformative, and beneficial to the world, challenging preconceived notions and cultural biases about GMOs.

What is Revolution Bioengineering, and what is its mission?

Revolution Bioengineering is a company founded by the speaker to create biotechnologically engineered flowers that change color. The mission is to make biotechnology more tangible and accessible by creating beautiful GMOs that challenge misconceptions and inspire wonder.

How does the speaker use flowers as an example of biotechnology?

The speaker creates flowers that change color throughout the day using genetic modification. These flowers are used as a metaphor for the beauty and potential of biotechnology, demonstrating how GMOs can be visually appealing and culturally impactful.

What are some misconceptions about GMOs that the speaker addresses?

The speaker challenges the idea that GMOs are unnatural, unnecessary, or poorly designed. They argue that these misconceptions stem from a deep discomfort with complex technology, often fueled by cultural biases and a lack of understanding.

Why does the speaker believe biotechnology can be beautiful?

The speaker believes biotechnology can be beautiful because it allows for the creation of innovative, sustainable, and less harmful processes, such as producing insulin and chymosin without relying on animal tissues. The beauty lies in the elegance of these solutions and their potential to make the world better.

How does the speaker connect biotechnology to the natural world?

The speaker argues that biotechnology is an extension of humanity's long history of working with nature to meet our needs, such as breeding crops for higher yield or beauty. Biotechnology allows us to enhance and streamline this process in a more efficient and sophisticated way.

What is the significance of Watson in the context of biotechnology?

Watson, a computer system, demonstrates the power of data-driven discovery in biotechnology. It was able to analyze vast amounts of research on proteins and identify new interactions, showing how digital technology can complement human scientific efforts and advance biotechnology.

Why does the speaker emphasize the importance of cultural considerations in biotechnology?

The speaker highlights that successful biotechnology adoption depends not just on the science but also on cultural engagement. They give examples like the sweet potato campaign in Africa, where communities embraced new crops through education and cultural integration, in contrast to resistance faced by GMO rice in Asia.

How does the speaker differentiate between the scientific and artistic communities' responses to GMOs?

The speaker notes that while scientists often see GMOs through a purely technical lens, artists are more excited by their creative potential. Many artists have reached out to collaborate on projects, like color-changing flowers, because they see GMOs as an opportunity to imagine and create new, beautiful realities.

What does the speaker mean by 'beautiful biotechnology,' and how does it challenge the status quo?

By 'beautiful biotechnology,' the speaker refers to biotech that is not only functional but also aesthetically and ethically thoughtful. It challenges the status quo by confronting negative stereotypes about GMOs and advocating for a future where biotechnology is integrated into society in a positive, transformative way.