Living Technology: Could DNA-less Protocells Save Venice?

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2009/09/25/The_Philosophy_of_Organic_Design

Dr. Rachel Armstrong discusses her work creating protocells, programmable technology that "live" but are not "alive." Armstrong explains that these cells do not have DNA and are based on the chemistry of oils. She speculates that protocells could be used to save Venice from sinking.

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Organic design is a philosophy of design that respects the users is influence by nature, recognizes the process of evolution and is holistic in its approach. This panel of architects and designers talks about what is required to practice organic design and the importance of energy conservation, natural materials and renewable resources in modern buildings.

The panelists include Usman Haque, CEO of Connected Environments Ltd. and founder of Pachube.com, Rachel Armstrong, TED Global Fellow and Teaching Fellow at the Bartlett School of Architecture, and Matthias Hollwich, Architect and founder of HWKN. - PICNIC 2009

Dr Armstrong is an interdisciplinary researcher who has trained as a medical doctor and tutors fifth year MArch students in the modification of biological systems for their technical dissertations at The Bartlett School of Architecture, UCL.

She has also collaborated with international artists such as Helen Chadwick, Orlan and Stelarc who engaged with the technologies of extreme body modification and the impact of extreme environments on biological systems in projects that exemplified her broader interest in the way in which the environment can directly shape organisms through biotechnological interventions.

Her work currently focuses on the development of Metabolic Materials for Living Buildings where she works in collaboration with international architects and scientists.

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• architects
• architecture
• buildings
• design
• designers
• italy
• italian
• city
• tech
• dna
• science
• oil
• chemicals
• chemistry
• fora.tv
• foratv
• fora
• tv
• rachel
• armstrong
• PICNIC

[dinasepulueda]

This is pretty COOL! nice vid

[Aphradonis]

@variablast Yes. Uploading.

[etiennealive]

Could be interesting for Amsterdam to !

[thewashh]

This is nothing like "grey goo." they don't have DNA and they don't clone themselve which is what makes the "grey goo theori frightening :)

[mastela88]

yah i know was just making sure u knew also.

[Atheistprimate]

mastela88-

My comment was meant tongue in cheek, if you read H.P. Lovecrarft's Beyond the Mountains of Madness one of the types of monsters are something very close to what she is talking about, a bodiless mass of cells called a Shuggoth.

[mastela88]

i dun care if penguins are more frantic than the others but it doesnt matter, shudnt we treat everyone equally if we are to win this? rly man

[Atheistprimate]

Shuggoth anyone? It was a terrible, indescribable thing vaster than any subway train a shapeless congeries of protoplasmic bubbles, faintly self-luminous, and with myriads of temporary eyes forming and un-forming as pustules of greenish light all over the tunnel-filling front that bore down upon us, crushing the frantic penguins and slithering over the glistening floor that it and its kind had swept so evilly free of all litter.

— H. P. Lovecraft, At The Mountains of Madness

[ArcaneRider]

I think they should name it "Ice-9" in honor of Kurt Vonnegut, from his novel Cat's Cradle.

[4Dmetricology]

Holy shit! Fantazmagorical!

remember the synthetic blood replacement micelles of 20 years ago? well perfluorocarbons are now used in medicine.