[Script Info]
Title: 
[Events]
Format: Layer, Start, End, Style, Name, MarginL, MarginR, MarginV, Effect, Text
Dialogue: 0,0:00:00.76,0:00:02.74,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,What if our plants
Dialogue: 0,0:00:02.76,0:00:05.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,could sense the toxicity\Nlevels in the soil
Dialogue: 0,0:00:05.48,0:00:08.52,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and express that toxicity\Nthrough the color of its leaves?
Dialogue: 0,0:00:09.68,0:00:13.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,What if those plants could also\Nremove those toxins from the soil?
Dialogue: 0,0:00:14.56,0:00:16.66,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Instead, what if those plants
Dialogue: 0,0:00:16.68,0:00:18.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,grew their own packaging,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:18.56,0:00:21.14,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,or were designed to only be harvested
Dialogue: 0,0:00:21.16,0:00:23.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,by their owners' own patented machines?
Dialogue: 0,0:00:23.44,0:00:25.34,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,What happens when biological design
Dialogue: 0,0:00:25.36,0:00:28.90,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is driven by the motivations\Nof mass-produced commodities?
Dialogue: 0,0:00:28.92,0:00:30.52,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,What kind of world would that be?
Dialogue: 0,0:00:31.24,0:00:35.26,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,My name is Ani, and I'm a designer\Nand researcher at MIT Media Lab,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:35.28,0:00:39.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,where I'm part of a relatively new\Nand unique group called Design Fiction,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:39.44,0:00:43.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,where we're wedged somewhere\Nbetween science fiction and science fact.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:43.56,0:00:47.70,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And at MIT, I am lucky enough\Nto rub shoulders with scientists
Dialogue: 0,0:00:47.72,0:00:49.70,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,studying all kinds of cutting edge fields
Dialogue: 0,0:00:49.72,0:00:52.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,like synthetic neurobiology,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:52.12,0:00:54.14,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,artificial intelligence, artificial life
Dialogue: 0,0:00:54.16,0:00:55.90,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and everything in between.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:55.92,0:00:59.74,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And across campus,\Nthere's truly brilliant scientists
Dialogue: 0,0:00:59.76,0:01:03.26,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,asking questions like,\N"How can I make the world a better place?"
Dialogue: 0,0:01:03.28,0:01:06.18,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And part of what my group\Nlikes to ask is, "What is better?"
Dialogue: 0,0:01:06.20,0:01:08.30,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,What is better for you, for me,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:08.32,0:01:10.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,for a white woman, a gay man,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:10.48,0:01:12.98,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,a veteran, a child with a prosthetic?
Dialogue: 0,0:01:13.00,0:01:15.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Technology is never neutral.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:15.08,0:01:16.74,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It frames a reality
Dialogue: 0,0:01:16.76,0:01:18.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and reflects a context.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:18.56,0:01:22.30,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Can you imagine what it would say\Nabout the work-life balance at your office
Dialogue: 0,0:01:22.32,0:01:24.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,if these were standard issue\Non the first day?
Dialogue: 0,0:01:24.52,0:01:25.94,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Laughter)
Dialogue: 0,0:01:25.96,0:01:28.22,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I believe it's the role\Nof artists and designers
Dialogue: 0,0:01:28.24,0:01:30.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to raise critical questions.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:30.40,0:01:32.82,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Art is how you can see\Nand feel the future,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:32.84,0:01:35.30,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and today is an exciting\Ntime to be a designer,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:35.32,0:01:37.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,for all the new tools becoming accessible.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:37.48,0:01:39.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,For instance, synthetic biology
Dialogue: 0,0:01:39.08,0:01:41.98,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,seeks to write biology\Nas a design problem.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:42.00,0:01:43.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And through these developments,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:43.56,0:01:46.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,my lab asks, what are the roles\Nand responsibilities
Dialogue: 0,0:01:46.52,0:01:50.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of an artist, designer,\Nscientist or businessman?
Dialogue: 0,0:01:50.88,0:01:52.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,What are the implications
Dialogue: 0,0:01:52.44,0:01:55.18,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of synthetic biology, genetic engineering,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:55.20,0:01:59.82,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and how are they shaping our notions\Nof what it means to be a human?
Dialogue: 0,0:01:59.84,0:02:03.14,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,What are the implications of this\Non society, on evolution
Dialogue: 0,0:02:03.16,0:02:05.74,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and what are the stakes in this game?
Dialogue: 0,0:02:05.76,0:02:08.98,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,My own speculative design research\Nat the current moment
Dialogue: 0,0:02:09.00,0:02:10.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,plays with synthetic biology,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:10.44,0:02:13.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but for more emotionally driven output.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:13.48,0:02:16.26,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I'm obsessed with olfaction\Nas a design space,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:16.28,0:02:19.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and this project started with this idea
Dialogue: 0,0:02:19.12,0:02:22.90,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of what if you could take\Na smell selfie, a smelfie?
Dialogue: 0,0:02:22.92,0:02:24.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Laughter)
Dialogue: 0,0:02:24.40,0:02:27.14,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,What if you could take\Nyour own natural body odor
Dialogue: 0,0:02:27.16,0:02:29.22,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and send it to a lover?
Dialogue: 0,0:02:29.24,0:02:33.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Funny enough, I found that this\Nwas a 19th century Austrian tradition,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:33.04,0:02:35.66,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,where couples in courtship\Nwould keep a slice of apple
Dialogue: 0,0:02:35.68,0:02:38.26,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,crammed under their armpit during dances,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:38.28,0:02:39.82,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and at the end of the evening,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:39.84,0:02:43.22,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the girl would give the guy\Nshe most fancied her used fruit,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:43.24,0:02:45.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and if the feeling was mutual,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:45.44,0:02:47.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,he would wolf down that stinky apple.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:47.40,0:02:50.52,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Laughter)
Dialogue: 0,0:02:51.68,0:02:54.98,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Famously, Napoleon wrote\Nmany love letters to Josephine,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:55.00,0:02:59.26,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but perhaps amongst the most memorable\Nis this brief and urgent note:
Dialogue: 0,0:02:59.28,0:03:01.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,"Home in three days. Don't bathe."
Dialogue: 0,0:03:01.52,0:03:03.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Laughter)
Dialogue: 0,0:03:03.60,0:03:05.76,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Both Napoleon and Josephine\Nadored violets.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:07.32,0:03:09.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Josephine wore violet-scented perfume,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:09.48,0:03:11.30,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,carried violets on their wedding day,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:11.32,0:03:13.34,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and Napoleon sent her a bouquet of violets
Dialogue: 0,0:03:13.36,0:03:14.90,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,every year on their anniversary.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:14.92,0:03:16.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,When Josephine passed away,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:16.52,0:03:18.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,he planted violets at her grave,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:18.12,0:03:19.94,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and just before his exile,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:19.96,0:03:22.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,he went back to that tomb site,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:22.12,0:03:24.78,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,picked some of those flowers,\Nentombed them in a locket
Dialogue: 0,0:03:24.80,0:03:26.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and wore them until the day he died.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:26.56,0:03:28.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And I found this so moving,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:28.12,0:03:32.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I thought, could I engineer that violet\Nto smell just like Josephine?
Dialogue: 0,0:03:32.04,0:03:33.70,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,What if, for the rest of eternity,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:33.72,0:03:35.30,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,when you went to visit her site,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:35.32,0:03:38.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,you could smell Josephine\Njust as Napoleon loved her?
Dialogue: 0,0:03:38.60,0:03:41.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Could we engineer new ways of mourning,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:41.04,0:03:43.14,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,new rituals for remembering?
Dialogue: 0,0:03:43.16,0:03:45.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,After all, we've engineered\Ntransgenic crops
Dialogue: 0,0:03:45.88,0:03:48.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to be maximized for profit,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:48.04,0:03:50.18,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,crops that stand up to transport,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:50.20,0:03:52.14,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,crops that have a long shelf life,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:52.16,0:03:54.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,crops that taste sugary sweet\Nbut resist pests,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:54.64,0:03:58.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,sometimes at the expense\Nof nutritional value.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:58.08,0:04:02.66,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Can we harness these same technologies\Nfor an emotionally sensitive output?
Dialogue: 0,0:04:02.68,0:04:03.98,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So currently in my lab,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:04.00,0:04:07.30,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I'm researching questions like,\Nwhat makes a human smell like a human?
Dialogue: 0,0:04:07.32,0:04:09.94,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And it turns out it's fairly complicated.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:09.96,0:04:13.18,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Factors such as your diet,\Nyour medications, your lifestyle
Dialogue: 0,0:04:13.20,0:04:15.22,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,all factor into the way you smell.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:15.24,0:04:17.78,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And I found that our sweat\Nis mostly odorless,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:17.80,0:04:19.94,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but it's our bacteria and microbiome
Dialogue: 0,0:04:19.96,0:04:23.70,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that's responsible for your smells,\Nyour mood, your identity
Dialogue: 0,0:04:23.72,0:04:25.34,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and so much beyond.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:25.36,0:04:27.66,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And there's all kinds\Nof molecules that you emit
Dialogue: 0,0:04:27.68,0:04:29.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but which we only perceive subconsciously.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:31.12,0:04:33.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So I've been cataloging and collecting
Dialogue: 0,0:04:33.48,0:04:35.66,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,bacteria from different sites of my body.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:35.68,0:04:37.66,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,After talking to a scientist, we thought,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:37.68,0:04:39.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,maybe the perfect concoction of Ani
Dialogue: 0,0:04:39.40,0:04:43.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is like 10 percent collarbone,\N30 percent underarm,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:43.40,0:04:45.70,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,40 percent bikini line and so forth,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:45.72,0:04:48.78,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and occasionally\NI let researchers from other labs
Dialogue: 0,0:04:48.80,0:04:50.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,take a sniff of my samples.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:50.48,0:04:53.66,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And it's been interesting to hear\Nhow smell of the body
Dialogue: 0,0:04:53.68,0:04:56.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is perceived outside\Nof the context of the body.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:56.52,0:04:58.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I've gotten feedback such as,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:58.12,0:05:00.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,smells like flowers, like chicken,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:00.60,0:05:01.82,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,like cornflakes,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:01.84,0:05:03.30,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,like beef carnitas.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:03.32,0:05:05.22,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Laughter)
Dialogue: 0,0:05:05.24,0:05:08.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,At the same time, I cultivate\Na set of carnivorous plants
Dialogue: 0,0:05:08.88,0:05:12.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,for their ability to emit\Nfleshlike odors to attract prey,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:12.56,0:05:15.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in an attempt to kind of create\Nthis symbiotic relationship
Dialogue: 0,0:05:15.40,0:05:18.32,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,between my bacteria and this organism.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:19.52,0:05:22.18,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And as it so happens,\NI'm at MIT and I'm in a bar,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:22.20,0:05:24.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and I was talking to a scientist
Dialogue: 0,0:05:24.52,0:05:26.90,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,who happens to be a chemist\Nand a plant scientist,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:26.92,0:05:28.82,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and I was telling him about my project,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:28.84,0:05:31.98,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and he was like, "Well, this sounds\Nlike botany for lonely women."
Dialogue: 0,0:05:32.00,0:05:35.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Laughter)
Dialogue: 0,0:05:35.04,0:05:37.94,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Unperturbed, I said, "OK."
Dialogue: 0,0:05:37.96,0:05:39.18,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I challenged him.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:39.20,0:05:42.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,"Can we engineer a plant\Nthat can love me back?"
Dialogue: 0,0:05:42.52,0:05:45.98,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And for some reason,\Nhe was like, "Sure, why not?"
Dialogue: 0,0:05:46.00,0:05:48.94,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So we started with,\Ncan we get a plant to grow towards me
Dialogue: 0,0:05:48.96,0:05:50.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,like I was the sun?
Dialogue: 0,0:05:50.44,0:05:54.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And so we're looking at mechanisms\Nin plants such as phototropism,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:54.40,0:05:56.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,which causes the plant\Nto grow towards the sun
Dialogue: 0,0:05:56.60,0:05:58.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,by producing hormones like auxin,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:58.60,0:06:01.26,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,which causes cell elongation\Non the shady side.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:01.28,0:06:03.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And right now I'm creating\Na set of lipsticks
Dialogue: 0,0:06:03.44,0:06:05.26,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that are infused with these chemicals
Dialogue: 0,0:06:05.28,0:06:08.94,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that allow me to interact with a plant\Non its own chemical signatures --
Dialogue: 0,0:06:08.96,0:06:12.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,lipsticks that cause plants\Nto grow where I kiss it,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:12.40,0:06:15.14,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,plants that blossom\Nwhere I kiss the bloom.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:15.16,0:06:17.94,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And through these projects,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:17.96,0:06:19.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I'm asking questions like,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:19.40,0:06:21.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,how do we define nature?
Dialogue: 0,0:06:21.12,0:06:24.66,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,How do we define nature\Nwhen we can reengineer its properties,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:24.68,0:06:26.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and when should we do it?
Dialogue: 0,0:06:26.12,0:06:29.82,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Should we do it for profit, for utility?
Dialogue: 0,0:06:29.84,0:06:31.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Can we do it for emotional ends?
Dialogue: 0,0:06:31.56,0:06:35.14,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Can biotechnology be used\Nto create work as moving as music?
Dialogue: 0,0:06:35.16,0:06:37.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,What are the thresholds between science
Dialogue: 0,0:06:37.08,0:06:39.92,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and its ability to shape\Nour emotional landscape?
Dialogue: 0,0:06:40.64,0:06:44.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It's a famous design mantra\Nthat form follows function.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:44.44,0:06:48.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Well, now, wedged somewhere\Nbetween science, design and art
Dialogue: 0,0:06:48.52,0:06:49.74,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I get to ask,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:49.76,0:06:51.22,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,what if fiction informs fact?
Dialogue: 0,0:06:51.24,0:06:53.30,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,What kind of R&D lab would that look like
Dialogue: 0,0:06:53.32,0:06:55.94,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and what kind of questions\Nwould we ask together?
Dialogue: 0,0:06:55.96,0:06:58.30,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We often look to technology as the answer,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:58.32,0:06:59.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but as an artist and designer,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:59.88,0:07:02.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I like to ask, but what is the question?
Dialogue: 0,0:07:02.40,0:07:03.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Thank you.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:03.64,0:07:07.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Applause)