Historical Context and Ethics of Biostasis - Jane Maienschein
At the April 2024 Meeting of the American Philosophical Society, Jane Maienschein, Director of the Center for Biology and Society, Arizona State University, gave the talk, "Historical Context and Ethics," part of the Benjamin Franklin Biostasis Conjecture Symposium.
About the speaker:
Jane Maienschein is University Professor, Regents Professor, and President’s Professor, and serves as Director for the Center for Biology and Society. She also serves as Fellow and directs the History and Philosophy of Science Project and the McDonnell Project on Regeneration at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, Massachusetts. Jane Maienschein specializes in the history and philosophy of biology and the way biology, bioethics, and bio-policy play out in society.
Maienschein and her team focus on the history and underlying assumptions in development and cell biology. They analyze epistemological standards, theories, and laboratory practices and combine that with their studies of people and institutions, as well as the changing social, political, and legal context in which science thrives.
She served as fellow with the U.S. House of Representatives during the 105th Congress, which addressed issues of climate change and stem cell research. Maienschein has filled many leadership roles at ASU and with professional societies including as president of two international organizations, panels with NIH, NSF, NEH, committees at the National Academy of Sciences, and Board member of many organizations. Through the Center for Biology and Society and the Embryo Project that she runs and that produces The Embryo Project Encyclopedia, she promotes education and research at the intersection of biological science and society, with an emphasis on effective communication about science.
Chapters:
00:00 - Introduction to Biostasis and Historical Curiosity
00:36 - Defining Biostasis Through the Ages
01:04 - Oxford Dictionary’s Take on Biostasis
01:29 - Early Discoveries: Biostasis as a Suspension of Life
02:25 - Empirical Period: Laeuwenhoek’s Observations
03:13 - Tardigrades and Resilience in Harsh Environments
04:10 - Benjamin Franklin’s Experiment with Reviving Flies
05:03 - Franklin’s Hypothetical Human Biostasis
06:13 - Fantasy, Fiction, and Biostasis in Popular Culture
07:05 - 19th Century Efforts to Explain Biostasis
08:17 - Claude Bernard’s Work on Homeostasis
09:16 - Ideas of Spark of Life and Reanimation
09:45 - Early Experiments on Metabolism and Cold Treatments
10:57 - Ethics of Controlling Life and Biostasis
11:44 - Medical Interventions and Biostasis Applications
12:19 - Extracorporeal Machines and Function Displacement
13:13 - The Role of Induced Coma in Modern Medicine
14:39 - Hypothermia as a Medical Intervention
15:33 - DARPA’s Battlefield Freeze Program
16:48 - Cryogenics and the Myths Surrounding It
18:24 - DARPA’s Goals in Extending the Golden Hour
19:46 - Regenerative Medicine and Biostasis
20:35 - Engineering Life: How Far Should We Go?
22:00 - Ethical Reflections on Biostasis and Control Over Life
About American Philosophical Society:
The American Philosophical Society, the oldest learned society in the United States, was founded in 1743 by Benjamin Franklin for the purpose of “promoting useful knowledge.” In the 21st century we sustain this mission in three principal ways. We honor and engage leading scholars, scientists, and professionals through elected membership and opportunities for interdisciplinary, intellectual fellowship, particularly in our semi-annual Meetings. We support research and discovery through grants and fellowships, lectures, publications, prizes, exhibitions, and public education. We serve scholars through a research library of manuscripts and other collections internationally recognized for their enduring historic value. The American Philosophical Society’s current activities reflect the founder’s spirit of inquiry, provide a forum for the free exchange of ideas, and convey our conviction that intellectual inquiry and critical thought are inherently in the best interest of the public.
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