Microbes Bene and Mal will be looking at some different science situations and seeing what’s good and bad about them! Bene and Mal’s Bioethics series with support from Nuffield Council on Bioethics
In this episode Benny and Mal think how great it would be if humans were invincible to pain. But pain can help warn us of damage to our bodies so might we end up with more injuries?
What would it be like if we could choose our own height? Great if you’re in a crowd but perhaps there might be easier ways to stand tall – without surgery or medicine!
In this episode Benny and Mal think about all the ways life would be easier if we had super speedy legs – no need for cars! But what if the technology went wrong?
In this episode Benny and Mal think about why knowing more about our DNA might be a good thing. Knowing which health issues we might suffer from would mean we could be prepared. But what if we learned we would face many horrible diseases – do we really want to know what the future holds?
In this episode Benny and Mal think about how it might be cool to be able to watch our dreams back – but what if they were bad dreams? Would you want a re-run?
In this episode Benny and Mal think about why we might not like others to have information about our bodies. We are told to keep personal information private – but what if that information could be used to help develop medicines and treatments? Does it matter who is using it?
In this episode Benny and Mal think about how being able to access the internet with our brains would make homework and tests a breeze. But what if our thoughts got hacked?
In this episode Benny and Mal discuss having implants inside our bodies. What if our brains could have computers inside? What would the world be like if everyone was super intelligent? Could we be hacked and would everyone cheat in exams by downloading the answers into their brains from the internet?
In this episode Benny and Mal think about how great it would be to have an alarm in your head that warned you of danger. But what if it went on the blink?
In this episode Benny and Mal think about using animal organs in human donations. Some people might think this is a yucky idea but if we use animals for meat what is the difference? Do we feel differently about different types of animals and is it ever fair to use other living things?
In this episode Benny and Mal think about how cool it would be if you could make yourself invisible. But what if your enemies could as well?
In this episode Benny and Mal think about the shortage of people donating organs. What is the fairest way to share out the organs? Why do some people find the idea icky? Is offering rewards the best way to increase the number of donors?
In this episode Benny and Mal imagine what it would be like if we mixed our genes with other animals. There could be some great results… but do you really want a furry tail?
In this episode Benny and Mal think about why we might want to change our bodies – perhaps we feel sad about the way we look – but feelings can be complicated and sometimes affected by other people. Perhaps there are other ways to feel better about ourselves.
In this episode Benny and Mal think about what it would be like to be super strong. It might be handy – not to mention cool to be a superhero but what if your enemies had the power not you?
In this episode Benny and Mal think about what it would be like if we replaced body parts indefinitely – we might live forever but what would be left of the original person? Would we end up as a robot and who would be responsible for fixing us?
In this episode Benny and Mal imagine what it would be like to have X Ray vision – it might help doctors and help us to find things we’d lost… but would privacy be lost as well?
In this episode Benny and Mal think about artificial limbs – the benefits of helping the elderly or the injured… maybe even running at super speeds – but who decides who will get the bionic upgrades and why not upgrade babies too?
Ep 8: Join microbes Benny and Mal as they discuss some pretty Demanding Dilemmas! They’re talking about ethical dilemmas, which is a difficult choice about the right thing to do! This time it’s all about the use of fluoride in water!
Ep 10: Join microbes Benny and Mal as they discuss some pretty Demanding Dilemmas! They’re talking about ethical dilemmas, which is a difficult choice about the right thing to do! This time it’s all about the human enhancement!
Ep 9: Join microbes Benny and Mal as they discuss some pretty Demanding Dilemmas! They’re talking about ethical dilemmas, which is a difficult choice about the right thing to do! This time it’s all about the Forensic Use of DNA
Ep 7: Join microbes Benny and Mal as they discuss some pretty Demanding Dilemmas! They’re talking about ethical dilemmas, which is a difficult choice about the right thing to do! This time it’s all about Medical Trials!
Ep 6: Join microbes Benny and Mal as they discuss some pretty Demanding Dilemmas! They’re talking about ethical dilemmas, which is a difficult choice about the right thing to do! This time it’s all about Infectious Disease!
Ep 5: Join microbes Benny and Mal as they discuss some pretty Demanding Dilemmas! They’re talking about ethical dilemmas, which is a difficult choice about the right thing to do! This time it’s all healthy eating!
Ep 4: Join microbes Benny and Mal as they discuss some pretty Demanding Dilemmas! They’re talking about ethical dilemmas, which is a difficult choice about the right thing to do! This time they discuss the GM Food debate.
Ep 3: Join microbes Benny and Mal as they discuss some pretty Demanding Dilemmas! They’re talking about ethical dilemmas, which is a difficult choice about the right thing to do! This time they discuss the GM Crops debate.
Ep 2: Join microbes Benny and Mal as they discuss some pretty Demanding Dilemmas! They’re talking about ethical dilemmas, which is a difficult choice about the right thing to do! This time it’s all about biofuels which are biological things like plants that we can use to fuel machines!