Proposal to Alchemy: In Case of Synthetic Biology

Four months ago my assumptions about the limits of pure scientific research were disintegrated. I watched Dr. Jason Chin's lecture at the Royal Society of London titled "Reprogramming the Code of Life." I think you need to see this, Alchemy. Indeed, the wh*** Evoke network might benefit from attention to Dr. Chin's description of the emergent field of Synthetic Biology.

http://royalsociety.org/Reprogramming-the-code-of-life/

Since Alchemy is masterfully beyond our public debates, having hacked global research databases (as I would surmise) we can expect the Evoke Network of 2020 to be aware of a full pallette of tools for the social innovation of alternative futures. Our mission in Japan seems to presuppose that Alchemy has emerged as leader of perhaps the single most impressive social innovation project in human history. Alchemy is acting as a catalyst to a global innovation process, and although it remains a secret network, its roots seem to reach deep into the groundwork of many global research institutions. I want to point out that our mission to assist in the urban design of a future Japan experiencing food shortages has a definite element of aesthetics to it. It is important to notice from the comic book pages that all the Evoke implementations are such aesthetically beautiful structures! The floating gardens would be absolutely stunning if the design of the barges was improved upon, but other than that, I think Japan in 2020 has received not only a smart social innovation, but an urban design process that takes aesthetics very seriously. For me, this is very important to consider, as urban design directly affects the moods and hopes of the population. I can point to the architectural writings of Christopher Alexander for support of this assertion. The shape and design of our public spaces actually influence our interpretation of the meaning of city-life, including our perceptions of the trustworthiness and capability of urban leadership. http://www.patternlanguage.com/

That being said, I want to call attention to a new academic field that has just sprouted up in Europe in response to design-oriented reflections on the development of Synthetic Biology; it is calling itself Synthetic Aesthetics. http://www.syntheticaesthetics.org/participate Here we have an Arts & Design programme interfacing with a Synthetic Biology programme. For most of us, these are new terms. Synthetic Aesthetics? Synthetic Biology?

Synthetic Biology is what Dr. Chin at the Royal Society is discussing. DNA of course is the code that, at least, influences the production of proteins in an organism. Proteins use energy to produce body functions like metabolism and automatic immune system maintenance. Synthetic Biology in Dr. Chin's case involves the artificial manufacture of synthetic ribosomes. Ribosomes are structures in the cell that translate the genetic code into protein assemblies. Dr. Chin's engineers have produced synthetic ribosomes through genetic engineering that can function inside an actual organic system -- a living body -- without affecting normal organic functionality. These synthetic ribosomes are manufactured to use artificial raw materials, in the form of synthetic amino acids, to produce new proteins -- proteins with specifically-designed properties that an actual organic body can use to perform new metabolic behaviors. Dr. Chin is quite serious when he says Synthetic Biologists can add a third strand to an organism's DNA that can encode for the design of new metabolic processes. This is Synthetic Biology in action, and it could introduce new forms of biological innovation -- not just social innovation -- in the near-term future. Dr. Chin goes so far as to say that Synthetic Biological systems add a new layer onto existing evolutionary processes. Once organisms with synthetic systems begin functioning in the natural environment, their reproductive success will make Synthetic Biology a player in the evolutionary game of life.

One of my favorite techno-shamans from my college days was Terence McKenna. Terence pointed out a chain of increasing complexity at work in the natural world. Going along with a great many scientists and philosophers, McKenna said that organic chemistry is more than just particle physics -- there's some extra magic involved in the building blocks of sentient life that can't be accounted for by just considering the lifeless smashing of atoms. In the same way, biology is more than just organic chemistry, and culture is more than just biology. We could say that this model presents a nested holarchy of systems within systems. It is precisely this nested holarchy that requires Alchemy to deal with the prospects of Synthetic Biology, I would say. Let me ease you into this line of thinking through a survey of existing trends.

Consider the large sums of money funding research into the future of Genetically Modified Organisms for agribusiness. Imagine you were the research & development executive for one of these major agribusinesses. You would have your six month plan, your two and three year plans, your five year plan, ten year plan, twenty year projection...but you would also have your long-term fifty year plan. The further out you go, the more you become a futurist and a speculative philosopher. But really, these larger plans are an area in which you can comprehend larger patterns in the world coming together and affecting your business strategies. The question I put to you is this: do you not consider Synthetic Biology as potentially affecting the long-term strategies of Agribusiness? I've just mentioned Dr. Jason Chin's prize-winning work on utilizing synthetic amino acids to produce new forms of metabolic behavior. It is well-known that animals get their energy for metabolic behavior from plants. If plant DNA is modified to interact through Genetically Modified Agribusiness with artificial genetic structures in the bodies of livestock or human consumers -- no matter if it takes 100 years -- the effects on culture and urban design are enormous.

Perhaps what I'm saying is beyond the scope of our "game" scenarios; this I understand. But you, Alchemy, stolid and capable beyond the municipal panic of Japan in 2020 -- you I would assume have the scoop on future forecasting when it comes to Synthetic Biology. I could surely expect you to take notice here. And so I offer my services as a gamer to perform a private mission. Let's consider this line of thinking in more detail, and bring our emotional intelligence to bare upon a slightly more distant future. This will not require us to be distracted from the matter at hand -- saving Tokyo and saving the world through with the ten Evoke powers. What I'm proposing is like a research & development foray.

As for Synthetic Aesthetics, this denotes the aesthetics of Synthetic-Biological engineering. From my side, Synthetic Aesthetics is basically the marketing wing of Synthetic Biology in a postmodern public relations sphere. But really, to do it justice, it's more than that. Aesthetics is important for urban planning and civil engineering too. The progress of Synthetic Biology as discussed by Dr. Jason Chin in his "Reprogramming the Code of Life" lecture evokes some huge questions regarding the urban landscapes of the future. Granted, we may be asking questions about a more distant future than Urgent Evoke is interested in. However, for those of you with the inclination to forecast future trends, what I'm pointing out here may be of some interest to you. I suggest we collaborate on a project with Alchemy to explore some expert opinions regarding the implications of Synthetic Biology on the future of social innovation.

Any takers?