DNA, Materiality, Information 

Abstracts

The role of consumer genomics in DNA innovation

by Silje Bakken, University of Oslo

The merging of biology and technology is inevitable in today's digitalized society. One emerging area of DNA research within social sciences links to consumer genomics. Companies with mainly commercial interests now provide direct-to-consumer genomic testing based on several aims, such as ancestry, entertainment, and medical information. Some of the largest companies like 23andMe, Ancestry, MyHeritage, and FamilyTree have millions of people registered in their databanks. On one side, this allows for great innovation and insight into various aspects of human beings. On the other hand, such commercially driven developments in biotechnology also lead to large changes in the public sphere of DNA use, more specifically DNA as forensic evidence.

This paper presentation is based on my upcoming postdoc project “DNA as forensic evidence and a commodity”, where my overall aim is to explore relations between technology, biology, and the social within private, commercial DNA companies and public law enforcement. The focus of my presentation will be on the marketing of commercial DNA companies and the way they promote DNA and DNA tests on their websites. One specific topic will be the expressed ideological factors of these companies, both in relation to biology and technology, as well as the website design elements in connecting with the audience. I will also include a broader context with external factors such as geographical location and targeted audience. Taken together, ideology, design, and external factors will then be used to discuss commercial companies’ impact on innovation.

The Practical Ontology of DNA Computing

by Stefano Mazzilli Daechsel, University of Oslo  

DNA computing is a subfield of computer science dedicated to performing computations with synthetic DNA molecules. The unique properties of DNA – its structure, information density and stability  – are harnessed to create chemical reaction networks that can perform similar computational functions to logic gates in conventional computing. In so doing, DNA computing imposes the logic of computer science onto a biological substrate. In this paper, I interrogate the ontological presuppositions of this move, particularly as it relates to notions of computation and information. Based on qualitative data from practitioners in the field, I examine the tensions that emerge in the theoretical and experimental practices of DNA computing and link them to debates around the ontological status of computation and information. I argue that DNA computing enacts a practical ontology that challenges clear distinctions between technology and biology.

Genetic Eyewitness? Expert views on use and regulation of Forensic DNA-phenotyping (FDP)

by Rameen Sheikh, University of Oslo

I would like to present my Master thesis as a paper on the STS Conference in Oslo 7th-9th June. The paper I want to present is about expert views on use and regulation of DNA-phenotyping (FDP) and how it can be relevant for Norway. The experts interviewed are from all over Europe and U.S. Their professional background is grounded in law, forensics, genetics and social sciences. I will first present what FDP is, and then go on with the findings in my thesis. Here it is mainly relevant to present the experts’ views on FDP, particularly which opportunities and challenges of FDP the experts consider the greatest. Finally, I will present which views they have on regulation of FDP. Some questions I will touch on include how enormous data production leads to FDP, how visualization is made by using FDP and how this information is interpreted. I will also focus on different ethical aspects that come with the use of FDP.

Materiality and low-tech at the crime scene

by Maja Vestad, Dept. of Criminology and Sociology of Law, University of Oslo

The premise for this article is to analyse “low” crime scene investigation technologies through the lens of the efficiency paradigm, and use that knowledge to better understand why some “high” technologies are accepted while others are not. While research shows that the police are generally less willing to adopt technologies that mandate organisational change, less has been said about their attitudes to already existing technologies, i.e. traditional/"low-tech" methods and tools. The promise of efficiency is a catalyst for technological development in the forensic sciences and crime scene investigation practices. Innovation in this field is driven by the desire to know more: to locate and document potential evidence, and investigate crimes as accurately and objectively as possible. This narrative suggests that police organisations need to adopt efficient methods and tools to "stay ahead” and investigate crimes thoroughly. But to what extent is this narrative reflective of actual practices? Through examining how crime scene investigators use existing technologies in practice, such as DNA detection dogs, paper sheets and manual documentation tools, the article shows that the attractions of low-tech persists even under the pressures of efficiency. Technologies that supplement and document already existing practices are favoured over those that contribute new information to a case. From this, we learn that the police's willingness to adopt and use technology is impacted by the extent to which it is perceived to protect their professional integrity. The study draws on extensive qualitative fieldwork conducted at police stations in Norway, to discuss whether the efficiency discourse is reflective of actual practices, and if not, what the consequences are for research into policing and technology.

Organizers

Stefano Mazzilli Daechsel and Maja Vestad