全民皆兵的科研方式

武夷山

Technology in Society杂志2014年5月号发表了新加坡国立大学Denisa Kera的一篇文章，里面介绍的合成生物学领域的另类或“地下”科研活动很值得重视，这些活动方式很像我国当年的“全民皆兵”。你可以将其看成洪水猛兽严加防范，你也可以将其看成生机无限的一种新型科研模式。

文章摘要如下。

Innovation regimes based on collaborative and global tinkering: Syntheticbiology and nanotechnology in the hackerspaces

Typically nanotechnology and syntheticbiology are discussed in terms of novel life forms and

materials created inlaboratories, or by novel convergences of technologies (ICTs and biologicalprotocols) and science paradigms (engineering and biology) they initiated.Equally inspiring is their ability to generate novel institutions and globalcommunities around emergent sciences,

which radicalize the forms of publicengagement and ethical deliberation. We are starting to

witness alternative (iGEM competitions) and almost underground R&D engagements with Synthetic

Biology (DIYbio movement), which inspired the emerging bottom-up involvementsin nanotechnologies in projects, such as the NanoSmanoLab in Slovenia. These

bottom-up involvements use tinkering and design as models for both research andpublic engagement. They democratize science and initiate a type of grassroots “science diplomacy”, supporting research in developing countries. We will discuss several recent examples, which demonstrate these novel networks (“Genegun” project by Rüdiger Trojok from the Copenhagen based hackerspace,Labitat.dk, the “Bioluminescence Project” by Patrik

D'haeseleer from Biocuriousbiotech hackerspace in Sunnyvale, CA, and the “Biodesign for the

real world”project by members of the Hackteria.org). They all use designprototypes to enable collaborative and global tinkering, in which science andcommunity are brought together in open biology laboratories and DIYbiohackerspaces, such as Hackteria.org or Biocurious. In these projects research protocols encompass broaderinnovative, social and ethical norms. Hackerspaces represent a

unique opportunity for a more inclusive, experimental, and participatory policy that supports both public and global involvements in emergent scientific fields.