Gemma Marfany will talk about the ethical implications of genetics in La Nau

Gemma Marfany, professor of the Department of Genetics of the Universitat de Barcelona and member of the Bioethics and Law Observatory of the UB, will talk about the impact of genetics in the present and in the future in our lives. Nowadays, techniques of genetic edition already allow the modification of an organism à la carte. With these tools in our hand, will we change the DNA of the human species to create better human beings? Do we have enough knowledge to choose which the desirable genetic factors are?

Gemma Marfany, who also directs a research group that studies the genetic bases of inherited minority diseases, this year, has participated in the monograph included in the issue number 100 of the Mètode journal, a selection of articles that invite to reflect about the role of science, in technic, social and ethical terms, to face the challenges that the energetic crisis, the climate change or the development of genetics at medium or short term. In her article, Marfany reflects about the possible role of human beings in the control of our own evolution by the hand of the knowledge that we currently have about DNA and the techniques that we have developed to modify it.

The conference has free entry until seating capacity.

The series of conferences ‘Los grandes retos de la ciencia’ is organised by the ‘Escola Europea de Pensament Lluís Vives’ along with the journal Mètode, on the occasion of its number 100 issue. Furthermore, within the activities to celebrate the 100 issues of the journal, the ‘Sala Oberta’ of La Nau hosts until the 15^th of September the exhibition ‘Mètode: 100 números de ciencia’. These activities pertain to the programme of the Cultural Centre La Nau of the Universitat de València has organized to celebrate its 20^th anniversary and the 520 anniversary of the Universitat de València.

The following conference will take place the 5^th of June in charge of Xurxo Mariño and will be focused on the big challenge of neuroscience: to find the origin of the self-conscious mind.