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Ani Liu: Smelfies, and other experiments in synthetic biology
劉安妮: 氣味自拍和其他合成生物學實驗
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如果能「氣味自拍」會怎樣？ 如果有口紅能夠使植物朝向你親吻過的地方生長，會如何？劉安妮探索感知的技術。她的作品融合科學、設計與藝術。在這簡短而高明的談話中，她分享夢想、奇蹟和實驗，並提問：「當科幻成為科學事實會怎樣？」
Ani Liu - Designer, artist
Ani Liu explores the intersection between technology and sensory perception. Full bio
Ani Liu explores the intersection between technology and sensory perception. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
00:12
What if our plants
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如果我們的植物
00:14
could sense the toxicity
levels in the soil
levels in the soil
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能夠感知土壤遭受污染的程度
00:17
and express that toxicity
through the color of its leaves?
through the color of its leaves?
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並且通過葉子的色彩
表達污染的程度，那會如何？
表達污染的程度，那會如何？
00:21
What if those plants could also
remove those toxins from the soil?
remove those toxins from the soil?
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如果這些植物還能夠移除
土壤中的有毒物質，那該多好？
土壤中的有毒物質，那該多好？
00:26
Instead, what if those plants
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又或者，假如這些植物
00:28
grew their own packaging,
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可以長出自己的包裝
00:30
or were designed to only be harvested
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或者設計成只能用
專利所有權人的機器收割，會如何？
00:33
by their owners' own patented machines?
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00:35
What happens when biological design
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如果生物是為了大規模生產而設計的
00:37
is driven by the motivations
of mass-produced commodities?
of mass-produced commodities?
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世界會變成什麼模樣？
00:40
What kind of world would that be?
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00:43
My name is Ani, and I'm a designer
and researcher at MIT Media Lab,
and researcher at MIT Media Lab,
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我是安妮，是麻省理工學院
媒體實驗室的設計師和研究員
媒體實驗室的設計師和研究員
00:47
where I'm part of a relatively new
and unique group called Design Fiction,
and unique group called Design Fiction,
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屬於新的、獨特的「虛構設計」組
00:51
where we're wedged somewhere
between science fiction and science fact.
between science fiction and science fact.
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我們徘徊在科幻小說和科學事實之間
00:55
And at MIT, I am lucky enough
to rub shoulders with scientists
to rub shoulders with scientists
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在麻省理工，我有幸
和其他科學家並肩
和其他科學家並肩
00:59
studying all kinds of cutting edge fields
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學習各種尖端科技
01:01
like synthetic neurobiology,
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比如合成神經生物學
01:04
artificial intelligence, artificial life
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人工智能、人工生命
01:06
and everything in between.
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和所有介於其中的學問
01:07
And across campus,
there's truly brilliant scientists
there's truly brilliant scientists
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整個校園，那些真正卓越的科學家
01:11
asking questions like,
"How can I make the world a better place?"
"How can I make the world a better place?"
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會問這樣的問題：
「我如何使世界變得更美好？」
「我如何使世界變得更美好？」
01:15
And part of what my group
likes to ask is, "What is better?"
likes to ask is, "What is better?"
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我的團隊喜歡問的
部分問題是：「什麼是更好？」
部分問題是：「什麼是更好？」
01:18
What is better for you, for me,
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對你、我
01:20
for a white woman, a gay man,
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對白種女性、男同性戀者
01:22
a veteran, a child with a prosthetic?
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退伍老兵，或有義肢的兒童
什麼是更好？
什麼是更好？
01:25
Technology is never neutral.
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科技永遠不是中立的
01:27
It frames a reality
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它形成了現實
01:28
and reflects a context.
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反映周遭的環境
01:30
Can you imagine what it would say
about the work-life balance at your office
about the work-life balance at your office
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如果這些是第一天的標準問題
你能想像辦公室的
工作與生活平衡的情況嗎？
工作與生活平衡的情況嗎？
01:34
if these were standard issue
on the first day?
on the first day?
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01:36
(Laughter)
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（笑聲）
01:37
I believe it's the role
of artists and designers
of artists and designers
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我相信，是藝術家和設計師的責任
01:40
to raise critical questions.
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來提出尖銳的問題
01:42
Art is how you can see
and feel the future,
and feel the future,
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藝術是你如何看待與感知未來
01:44
and today is an exciting
time to be a designer,
time to be a designer,
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當今，成為設計師是令人興奮的
01:47
for all the new tools becoming accessible.
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因為可以使用很多新的工具
01:49
For instance, synthetic biology
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比如，合成生物學
01:51
seeks to write biology
as a design problem.
as a design problem.
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把生物學寫成設計的問題
01:54
And through these developments,
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通過這些發展
01:55
my lab asks, what are the roles
and responsibilities
and responsibilities
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我的實驗室問：
藝術家、設計師、科學家
藝術家、設計師、科學家
01:58
of an artist, designer,
scientist or businessman?
scientist or businessman?
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和商人的角色和責任是什麼？
02:02
What are the implications
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合成生物學、基因科學
02:04
of synthetic biology, genetic engineering,
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將意味什麼？
02:07
and how are they shaping our notions
of what it means to be a human?
of what it means to be a human?
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它們將怎樣影響我們對於人類的定義？
02:11
What are the implications of this
on society, on evolution
on society, on evolution
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它將如何影響社會、進化？
02:15
and what are the stakes in this game?
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這其中有哪些利害關係？
02:17
My own speculative design research
at the current moment
at the current moment
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我目前臆想的設計實驗
02:21
plays with synthetic biology,
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與合成生物學有關
02:22
but for more emotionally driven output.
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但是更與情感的表達有關
02:25
I'm obsessed with olfaction
as a design space,
as a design space,
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我癡迷於氣味的設計
02:28
and this project started with this idea
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這個專案來自這個想法：
02:31
of what if you could take
a smell selfie, a smelfie?
a smell selfie, a smelfie?
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如果你能做氣味自拍，會怎樣？
02:34
(Laughter)
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（笑聲）
02:36
What if you could take
your own natural body odor
your own natural body odor
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如果你可以將自己的自然體味
02:39
and send it to a lover?
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傳送給愛人，會怎樣？
02:41
Funny enough, I found that this
was a 19th century Austrian tradition,
was a 19th century Austrian tradition,
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有趣的很，我發現這是
19 世紀奧地利人的傳統
19 世紀奧地利人的傳統
02:45
where couples in courtship
would keep a slice of apple
would keep a slice of apple
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在求愛的情侶們，會把一片蘋果
02:47
crammed under their armpit during dances,
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在跳舞的時候夾在腋下
02:50
and at the end of the evening,
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當晚
02:51
the girl would give the guy
she most fancied her used fruit,
she most fancied her used fruit,
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女孩會把她用過的水果
給她最喜歡的男士
給她最喜歡的男士
02:55
and if the feeling was mutual,
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如果這種感覺是相互的
02:57
he would wolf down that stinky apple.
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他會狼吞虎嚥的吃掉那個有味的蘋果
02:59
(Laughter)
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（笑聲）
03:03
Famously, Napoleon wrote
many love letters to Josephine,
many love letters to Josephine,
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眾所周知，拿破崙
曾經寫很多情書給约瑟芬
曾經寫很多情書給约瑟芬
03:07
but perhaps amongst the most memorable
is this brief and urgent note:
is this brief and urgent note:
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最難忘的可能是
下面這簡單迫切的描述：
下面這簡單迫切的描述：
03:11
"Home in three days. Don't bathe."
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「三天內會回到家。別洗澡」
03:13
(Laughter)
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（笑聲）
03:15
Both Napoleon and Josephine
adored violets.
adored violets.
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拿破崙和約瑟芬都喜歡紫羅蘭
03:19
Josephine wore violet-scented perfume,
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約瑟芬擦紫羅蘭味的香水
03:21
carried violets on their wedding day,
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在結婚那天捧著紫羅蘭
03:23
and Napoleon sent her a bouquet of violets
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拿破崙在每個結婚紀念日
03:25
every year on their anniversary.
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都送她紫羅蘭花束
03:26
When Josephine passed away,
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當約瑟芬去世時
03:28
he planted violets at her grave,
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他在她的墓前種下紫羅蘭
03:30
and just before his exile,
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就在他被流放前
03:31
he went back to that tomb site,
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他回到墓前
03:34
picked some of those flowers,
entombed them in a locket
entombed them in a locket
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摘了一些花放入項鍊墜的小盒子裡
03:36
and wore them until the day he died.
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直戴到他去世
03:38
And I found this so moving,
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我覺得這很感人
03:40
I thought, could I engineer that violet
to smell just like Josephine?
to smell just like Josephine?
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我想，我可以使得紫羅蘭
聞起來和約瑟芬一樣嗎？
聞起來和約瑟芬一樣嗎？
03:44
What if, for the rest of eternity,
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如果在未來
03:45
when you went to visit her site,
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你去到她的墳前
03:47
you could smell Josephine
just as Napoleon loved her?
just as Napoleon loved her?
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能聞到約瑟芬的味道
就像當初拿破崙愛她那般？
就像當初拿破崙愛她那般？
03:50
Could we engineer new ways of mourning,
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我們是否能設計新的悼念方式
03:53
new rituals for remembering?
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以新的儀式去懷念？
03:55
After all, we've engineered
transgenic crops
transgenic crops
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畢竟，我們改變了植物的基因
03:57
to be maximized for profit,
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使利潤最大化
04:00
crops that stand up to transport,
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方便被運輸
04:02
crops that have a long shelf life,
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能儲存很久
04:04
crops that taste sugary sweet
but resist pests,
but resist pests,
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味道甜但防蟲害
04:06
sometimes at the expense
of nutritional value.
of nutritional value.
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有時以犧牲營養價值為代價
04:10
Can we harness these same technologies
for an emotionally sensitive output?
for an emotionally sensitive output?
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我們是否能夠同樣
用科技來表達情感呢？
用科技來表達情感呢？
04:14
So currently in my lab,
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目前，我的實驗室研究
04:16
I'm researching questions like,
what makes a human smell like a human?
what makes a human smell like a human?
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「什麼使得人聞起來像人」
這樣的問題
這樣的問題
04:19
And it turns out it's fairly complicated.
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結果，這相當複雜
04:21
Factors such as your diet,
your medications, your lifestyle
your medications, your lifestyle
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你的飲食、藥物、生活方式等因素
04:25
all factor into the way you smell.
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都會影響你的氣味
04:27
And I found that our sweat
is mostly odorless,
is mostly odorless,
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我發現我們的汗水多半沒氣味
04:29
but it's our bacteria and microbiome
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而是我們的細菌和微生物
04:31
that's responsible for your smells,
your mood, your identity
your mood, your identity
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造就了你的味道氣味、心情和特性
04:35
and so much beyond.
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還有很多
04:37
And there's all kinds
of molecules that you emit
of molecules that you emit
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你散發各式各樣的分子
04:39
but which we only perceive subconsciously.
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被我們無意識地感受到
04:43
So I've been cataloging and collecting
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所以我對身體不同部位的細菌
04:45
bacteria from different sites of my body.
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進行分類、收集
04:47
After talking to a scientist, we thought,
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在與科學家討論後，我們想
04:49
maybe the perfect concoction of Ani
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也許完美的安妮混合物
04:51
is like 10 percent collarbone,
30 percent underarm,
30 percent underarm,
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可能是 10% 鎖骨、30% 腋下
04:55
40 percent bikini line and so forth,
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40% 比基尼線，諸如此類
04:57
and occasionally
I let researchers from other labs
I let researchers from other labs
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偶爾，我讓別的實驗室的人員
05:00
take a sniff of my samples.
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聞一點點我的樣本
05:02
And it's been interesting to hear
how smell of the body
how smell of the body
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聽身體的氣味離開身體之外
被他們感知成什麼樣子
被他們感知成什麼樣子
05:05
is perceived outside
of the context of the body.
of the context of the body.
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非常有趣
05:08
I've gotten feedback such as,
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我聽到如下的反饋：
05:10
smells like flowers, like chicken,
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聞起來像花、雞肉
05:12
like cornflakes,
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像玉米片
05:13
like beef carnitas.
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像慢燉牛肉絲
（註：一種墨西哥食物）
（註：一種墨西哥食物）
05:15
(Laughter)
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（笑聲）
05:17
At the same time, I cultivate
a set of carnivorous plants
a set of carnivorous plants
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同時，我培育食肉植物
05:20
for their ability to emit
fleshlike odors to attract prey,
fleshlike odors to attract prey,
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因為它們能散發吸引獵物的味道
05:24
in an attempt to kind of create
this symbiotic relationship
this symbiotic relationship
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試圖造成我的細菌
05:27
between my bacteria and this organism.
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和那有機體之間的共生關係
05:31
And as it so happens,
I'm at MIT and I'm in a bar,
I'm at MIT and I'm in a bar,
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就這樣，我在麻省理工，一家酒吧
05:34
and I was talking to a scientist
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和一個科學家談話
05:36
who happens to be a chemist
and a plant scientist,
and a plant scientist,
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他碰巧是個植物科學家和化學家
05:38
and I was telling him about my project,
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我告訴他我的研究專案
05:40
and he was like, "Well, this sounds
like botany for lonely women."
like botany for lonely women."
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他說，聽起來像是孤獨女性的園藝
05:44
(Laughter)
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（笑聲）
05:47
Unperturbed, I said, "OK."
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我忐忑地說：「好吧」
05:49
I challenged him.
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我挑戰他
05:51
"Can we engineer a plant
that can love me back?"
that can love me back?"
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「我們能造出
會回應我的愛的植物嗎？」
會回應我的愛的植物嗎？」
05:54
And for some reason,
he was like, "Sure, why not?"
he was like, "Sure, why not?"
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他回答：「當然可以」
05:58
So we started with,
can we get a plant to grow towards me
can we get a plant to grow towards me
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我們從能否造個
朝向我生長的植物開始
朝向我生長的植物開始
06:00
like I was the sun?
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就像我是太陽一般
06:02
And so we're looking at mechanisms
in plants such as phototropism,
in plants such as phototropism,
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我們研究光合作用之類的機制
06:06
which causes the plant
to grow towards the sun
to grow towards the sun
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它使得植物朝向太陽生長
06:08
by producing hormones like auxin,
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通過產生如激素般的植物生長素
06:10
which causes cell elongation
on the shady side.
on the shady side.
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會使得不受光那一邊的細胞拉長
06:13
And right now I'm creating
a set of lipsticks
a set of lipsticks
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現今我在製作一組口紅
06:15
that are infused with these chemicals
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裡頭注入了這些化學物質
06:17
that allow me to interact with a plant
on its own chemical signatures --
on its own chemical signatures --
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讓我根據植物的化學特徵與它互動
06:20
lipsticks that cause plants
to grow where I kiss it,
to grow where I kiss it,
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口紅會使植物在我親吻過的地方生長
06:24
plants that blossom
where I kiss the bloom.
where I kiss the bloom.
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我在哪裡親吻，植物就在哪裡盛開
06:27
And through these projects,
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通過這些專案
06:29
I'm asking questions like,
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我問的問題像是
06:31
how do we define nature?
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我們如何定義自然？
06:33
How do we define nature
when we can reengineer its properties,
when we can reengineer its properties,
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當我們能重塑特性時
如何定義自然？
如何定義自然？
06:36
and when should we do it?
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我們何時該去做？
06:38
Should we do it for profit, for utility?
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我們應該為利潤、為實用性去做嗎？
06:41
Can we do it for emotional ends?
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我們能為情緒目的而做嗎？
06:43
Can biotechnology be used
to create work as moving as music?
to create work as moving as music?
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生物技術能製造出像音樂般的產品
讓人感動嗎？
06:47
What are the thresholds between science
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科學與它塑造情感景觀的能力
06:49
and its ability to shape
our emotional landscape?
our emotional landscape?
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兩者之間的界限是什麼？
06:52
It's a famous design mantra
that form follows function.
that form follows function.
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有句熟知的設計行語
說「形式遵循功能」
說「形式遵循功能」
06:56
Well, now, wedged somewhere
between science, design and art
between science, design and art
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如今徘徊在交錯的科學、
設計與藝術之間
設計與藝術之間
07:00
I get to ask,
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我想問
07:01
what if fiction informs fact?
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如果虛構啟迪事實會怎樣？
07:03
What kind of R&D lab would that look like
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研發實驗室看起來會是什麼模樣？
07:05
and what kind of questions
would we ask together?
would we ask together?
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我們將會一起問什麼樣的問題？
07:07
We often look to technology as the answer,
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我們常將技術視為解答
07:10
but as an artist and designer,
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但身為藝術家和設計師
07:11
I like to ask, but what is the question?
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我想問，問題是什麼？
07:14
Thank you.
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謝謝
07:15
(Applause)
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（鼓掌）
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Ani Liu - Designer, artistAni Liu explores the intersection between technology and sensory perception.
Why you should listen
Ani Liu is a transdisciplinary artist working at the intersection of art and science. Currently at MIT Media Lab, she creates research-based art that explores the social, cultural and ethical implications of emerging technologies. In the search to link scientific innovation with emotional tangibility, her work has spanned the scales of architectural installations, wearable prosthetics, augmented reality and synthetic biology.
Liu's work has been presented at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, Asian Art Museum, MIT Museum, MIT Media Lab, Wiesner Gallery, Harvard University, Open Gallery, Powerhouse Alliance Conference, Buildings as Cities Inaugural Conference and TEDxBeaconStreet. Her work has been featured in several publications, including See Yourself X: Human Futures Expanded and Solid: Design Techniques.
In 2014-15, she led the research program in Sensory Mediation at the Harvard Center for Green Buildings and Cities, which explores how information visualization, augmented reality and other emerging technologies can be harnessed to extend the human sensorium to redefine spatial experience.
She taught as an Associate Instructor at the Harvard Graduate School of Design, where she co-taught an advanced-level architectural studio called Architecture of Cultural Prosthetics: Tools for Communication and Expression in the Public Space with Krzysztof Wodiczko.
Liu has a BA from Dartmouth College and received a Masters of Architecture degree from the Harvard Graduate School of Design, earning a distinction for her thesis in wearable technologies, responsive environments and cultural prosthetics. She continually seeks to discover the unexpected, through playful experimentation, intuition and speculative storytelling.
Ani Liu | Speaker | TED.com