Ethical Issues in the Deliberate Release of Engineered Microbes

New technological capabilities always introduce new ethical challenges: under what conditions should we use this technology? What ethical concerns or trade-offs does it reveal? What new obligations does it impose? In this presentation, Lisa M. Rasmussen, Ph.D., Professor of Philosophy at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, will explore ethical issues arising in the deliberate release of engineered microbes. This will include a discussion of the general areas of concern, current ethical approaches, and a consideration of how we might proceed ethically when we are not sure of the effects of this use.

This event is part of the “Engineered Microbes for Environmental Release” webinar series that brings together voices from synthetic biology, ecology, policy, science and technology studies, biotechnology, ethics, and history to explore the social, technological, and environmental dimensions of these innovations. Hosted by the Baker Institute’s Science and Technology Policy Program and co-sponsored by the Rice Synthetic Biology Institute, this webinar series was supported by a grant from Schmidt Sciences and the National Science Foundation (#2223678 & #2515431).

This event is free and open to the public.