Team:Brown-Stanford/SynEthics/Intro

Documentary Project: The Ethics of Synthetic Biology in Space

As we develop the enabling technologies for space exploration, there are some questions about ethics and best human practice that must be addressed. For example, if there is potential for native life on another planetary body (e.g. Mars or Titan) do we, as humans, have any responsibilities towards that life? If our settlements will likely damage the native ecosystem or destroy that life, must we avoid settling? If we find life in a dormant stage, do we have a responsibility to revive it? Should we advocate a policy of preference for Earth-life, life in general, or non-interference? If we are able to decode an extraterrestrial system of genetics, do we have the right to manipulate those genetics, as we do with Earth-organisms? What is the role of synthetic biology in space exploration? These are essential questions which will shape the nature of our civilization if and when we expand into space.

Even among experts, responses vary. Some argue that we should absolutely not undertake irreversible settlement of a planet before we are completely sure it is devoid of extraterrestrial life. If we are ever to understand the genesis and nature of life, they reason, we must study more than one example of life. Currently, humanity has only one example: Earth-life, always based on the same four base-pair chemistry. To irreversibly settle would risk the destruction of the most important scientific discovery in history and the only foreseeable chance to understand our place in the universe. Other experts argue that we should preference Earth-life and disregard native life in space settlement, for reasons of our survival as a species.

Questions like these rarely come across the public radar because they seem so far out. But there must be a conversation before any irreversible space settlement occurs.

For this reason, we spoke to experts in many fields related to space exploration to get their opinions. We interviewed many of the world's leading researchers in Astrobiology, Planetary Science, SETI, Environmental Protection, Solar System Exploraion, and a NASA Administrator.

Below are the videos of these interviews, along with a brief biography of the interviewee and summary of the interview. These videos are intended to start the conversation. We hope you enjoy and learn something.