Biotechnology & Society FINAL 1 m
What is are the names of the European and American approaches to GE food/GMOs?
European: precautionary principle; American: GRAS
When considering federal regulation of GE crops, the ___________ is concerned with safety of the food for human consumption, while the _____________ is concerned with how GE crops affect other plants and animals in the environment.
FDA, USDA
Who benefits from the food aid program in the US?
Food aid is structed to meet the broader foreign policy objectives of the US
an illegal abortionist who created an MR called the Karman cannula
Harvey Karman
What is the motto of the Enlightenment?
Have the courage to use your own understanding!
According to Shiva, what is bioprospecting and how does she relate it to biopiracy?
It is the exploration of biodiversity for commercially valuable genetic resources and biochemicals. It an inappropriate term because it references minerals and fossils yet takes living resources. She states it is a sophisticated form of biopiracy.
Why does GynePunk exist?
It was created as DIY diagnosis for undeserved groups without health care.
an example of "anti-disciplinary" science
LEGOs covered in light-emitting skin
________ patented the Menstrual Extractor (Del-Em).
Lorraine Rothman
The menstrual extractor as promoted by _____________ while the menstrual regulator was promoted by ____________.
Los Angeles self-help feminists; the US government as a form of family planning in developing countries
The development of GE animals is subject to the ________.
New Animal Drug Application (based on sufficient testing, a reasonable certainty of no harm to users)
Do companies that market new GE crops for human consumption have to obtain permission from the FDA before marketing them?
No, but the FDA suggests that crop manufacturers consult with the agency about the safety of the product prior to marketing
How does Whiteside define "progress"?
Progress consists in recognizing our inability to master the world.
Why are some individuals worried about the science being done in DIY Biology experiments?
Since DIY Biology isn't as regulated as typical research science, individuals could generate bioweapons or hurt themselves
What is a critique to the Feed the Future initiative?
Some agricultural economists argue that you can't fix a food price spike by growing more food. Farmers sometimes dump their surplus crops because they're faced with sudden price drops due to over-production.
Why is Betsy Harmann skeptical of environmentally motivated population narratives?
They reinterpret Malthusian logic, linking birthrate to resource scarcity and calling for reproductive restrictions
What were the historical beginnings of the US food aid program?
WWII
What are the three principles of feminism?
- biological sex does not determine identity, rather is taught through institutional and social constructs of what is "appropriate" - the personal is political, not only lifestyle - focus = patterns of domination & politics of gender, sex race, class, & sexual orientation a.k.a. intersectionality
Differentiate between biopiracy and bioprospecting (according to Efferth.
- biopiracy focuses on the use of biological resources and knowledge of indigenous tribes or communities without sharing the revenues earned out of economic and non-monetary exploitation of such resources. - bioprospecting is the identification and commercialization of bioproducts. This means that bioprospecting includes both biopiracy practices and the proper use of natural resources respecting the identities, interests and rights of indigenous communities.
What are the six principles of food justice?
- historical trauma - local foods, community development and public investment - hunger relief, health disparities and the industrial food system - land - labor and immigration - toxic-free and climate-just food systems
Name 3 critiques to Malthusianism.
- improved living standards/social change can level out population - diverts attention from big consumers/wasters of resources - diverts focus from resource monopoly & "control of the powerful few"
According to Kant, what is the difference between private use of reason and public use of reason?
- private use of reason: how we use our reason in acting in society, as individuals with a precise role or place in society (how we follow laws), - public use of reason: we don't think as a particular member of society, but rather as any rational being would do (freedom of speech)
What are the 4 critiques of 23andMe (DTC) testing?
- validity of the data, - genetic privacy, - disruption of family relationships and identity, -commodification of risk
What are 2 current issues in the current debate on biopiracy that may impede the process of establishing intellectual property rights and protections against biopiracy?
- whether indigenous communities can provide written evidence of their ownership of knowledge over the natural/biological produce in question, - proving the efficacy of natural plants through methods of modern pharmacological and molecular biological sciences
What are two arguments against universal breast cancer screening?
- younger women are subject to disproportionate false positives/negatives because of their denser breast tissue - mammography can result in overdiagnosis and unnecessary treatment (including surgery, radiation, and drug therapy)
What does the precautionary principle state?
When an activity raises threats of harm to human health or the environment, precautionary measures should be taken even if some cause and effect relationships are not established scientifically.
Why is biohacking more useful for women?
Woman's hormonal cycle allows more personalized hacking.
What is "precaution"?
a comprehensive, long-term assessment of cost and benefits that included uncertainties
What is anthropocene?
a term for the present geological epoch during which humanity has begun to have a significant impact on the environment
The New Plant Policy states ________.
all GE foods, produced through modern rDNA techniques, were GRAS under the FDCA, and not subject to regulation as food additives
What are the four food safety concerns of eating GE foods released by the World Health Organization?
allergenicity, toxicity, antibiotic resistance, outcrossing
What is biohacking?
another word for DIY Biology; using DNA and genetic self-knowledge to optimize personal bodily health or function; also a term used to describe the stereotype or fears about DIY Biology
the ability to understand, analyze, evaluate, and apply scientific concepts and new technologies
bioliteracy
DIY Biology is a term for ________.
biology experiments that are conducted in unconventional settings, such as in hackspaces or homes
bioprospecting that exploits plant and animal species by claiming patents to restrict their general use
biopiracy
the responsibility to determine if something is right or wrong
burden of the proof
the condition in which all people at all times have access to fresh, healthy, affordable, and culturally appropriate food, outside emergency food situations
community food security
The objective of the Coordinated Framework Regulation of Biotechnology (1986) was to provide a "________."
comprehensive federal regulatory policy for ensuring the safety of biotechnology research and products
The ethics of precaution is based on ________ and ________.
consequences (intended/unintended), time (short-term/long-term effects)
What does "Sapere Aude" mean?
dare to know
A central barrier to technological advancement and design has long been ________.
designers tend to tailor products to a universal male body to exclusion of other bodies
What are the three angles we can look at technology?
efficiency (best yield with least resources?), ethicality (right/wrong?), and politics (people agree?)
Explain the "democratization of science."
equal distribution of power in science; equal & free access to science occupations
the right to define their own food, agriculture, livestock, and fisheries systems
food sovereignty
When international crises involving food are declared, the United States typically donates _______ and the European Union typically donates ____________.
food, money
What is the necessary for the public to become "enlightened"?
freedom
What does GRAS stand for?
generally recognized as safe
What does "anti-disciplinarity" mean?
goes against utilitarian valuation of interdisciplinarity; more freedom to explore questions from wider points of views; free from constraints of fitting within, or between, well-defined disciplines and practices
Early tampon technologies were designed mainly for male medical practitioners and were ________.
illegal due to the Comstock Law
A core aspiration of the Feed the Future initiative is to ________.
increase global food production to encourage agribusiness investment interests in developing nations
the technique whereby a woman can control her menstrual period
menstrual extractor
a mass-produced commodity that evacuated the uterine contents from a woman who is at risk of being pregnant
menstrual regulator
a term that describes a system under which the people's freedom of choice is limited, supposedly for their own good; the authorities supply for their needs without leaving them responsibility or freedom
paternalism
According to the "Coordinated Framework for Regulation of Biotechnology," the ___________ of genetic engineering is inherently safe, while the __________ should be examined and potentially regulated.
process, products
Describe 3 examples of biohacking
1. The functional medicine-inspired period tracker and hormone balancing app: MyFlo App brings cycle tracker that suggest foods, activities, workouts, and playtime activities to optimize women's life based on hormone levels. 2. The stress detector: WellBe is a wearable that helps to lower the stress level. Detects stress patterns to notify when to take chill pills. 3. The Ovulation kit: KNOWHEN is an at-home saliva based fertility test that syncs to an app to track women's ovulation. 4. The personal trainer that determines workouts and meal plans tailored to your genetic code: Fitness Genes, a DNA testing kit uses one's genetic information to output the best personalized exercise and nutrition program. 5. The hypnosis app to hack your mind: HelloMind is a hypnosis app designed to help you break your most difficult mental patterns with result- driven hypnosis, whether it's emotional eating, stress, or self-esteem.
When was the Comstock Law (suppression of obscene literature and articles of immoral use) passed?
1873
The first mammography trials were in ________.
1963
the range of legal rights addressing need for representation on issues related to self-determination of sexual freedom; access to safe, effective, birth controls and medical information to make informed decisions
reproductive rights
What is feminism?
social movement seeking equality of opportunity for all people regardless of gender
the standard that looks only at the final product and does not address its source or the risks involved in the process of production
substantial equivalence
The FDA believes that GE crops are ________ to their non-GM counterparts.
substantially equivalent
Who is J. Marion Sims?
the Father of Gynecology, who used enslaved African American women, anesthetized as experimental subjects
What is reproductive justice?
the complete physical, mental, spiritual, political, social, and economic well-being of women and girls, based on the full achievement and protection of women's human rights
What is a feminist technology?
the development of technologies that contribute to the empowerment of women; empowerment of people who have historically been excluded from or victimized by technology
Why do consumers have less choice regarding whether or not to consume GE food in countries with mandatory GE food labeling?
the mandatory labels create fear of profit loss, making producers in these countries avoid using GE products and reducing the amount of GE food available in the grocery store
What is "scripting"?
the motive/purpose of a product and the social prompts about how it should be used and messages about how we are supposed to "be" in the world
What is nature?
the natural resources we use; a symbiotic environment we live in
What is Malthusianism?
the view that population growth must be tempered by war, famine, disease as "natural" means of correcting lack of restraint; called for "preventative checks" to control population (moral and physical restraints)
An attitude of precaution in policymaking is required when ________.
there is no scientific certainty whether the technology is dangerous or not
The menstrual extractor and the menstrual regulator were ________.
two very similar devices for emptying the uterine contents that could be used by laypeople
What is "unintended consequences"?
unforeseen consequences that are not the intended goal of the technology
What is informed consent?
when the patient is of sound mind and body, has adequate information to reach comprehension and informed decision, has the appropriate amount of facts to discuss (diagnosis, nature of procedure, risks of procedure, likelihood of success, anticipated benefits, alternative treatments available), and must make a voluntary decision not based on coercion, duress, or fraud
What is science literacy?
when you are able to critically evaluate scientific methods and design, conduct and interpret your own experiments
In the documentary, In the Family, the main character Joanna Rudnick is ultimately trying to make what decision?
whether to have prophylactic mastectomy and/or oophorectomy to remove her ovaries and breasts
Proposition 37 was on the ballet in CA in 2012. What did the Prop declare?
All GE foods would require labeling
the 1975 conference that called for a moratorium (prohibition) on the use of recombinant DNA and put forward voluntary guidelines for biotechnology research
Asilomar conference
aka "stage Zero" cancer; a condition where a cluster of abnormal cells is found in the milk duct lining of the breast
DCIS (ductal carcinoma in situ)
Name 4 tenets of "A Biopunk Manifesto."
- Biopunks are politically involved; - Biopunks take responsibility for their research; - Biopunks are actively engaged in making the world a better place; - Scientific literacy is necessary for a functioning society in the modern age. Scientific literacy is not science education
Why are the concerns of DIY Biology overblown?
- DIY biologists don't have large resources, - If danger could come from an individual, it could be a professional scientist as well as a DIY biologist
Differences between MR and ME?
- MR: developed and then marketed as a commodity; sold to clinics, hospitals, and US AID program; packaged as a kit to be bought as a whole unit; - ME: developed to not be a commodity; meant to be an at-home woman's self-help device; could be assembled by household items; focused on an ethos of sharing and was "woman controlled" and "self controlled"