Is biorobotics science? Some theoretical reflections.

In this paper, we ask one fairly simple question: to what extent can biorobotics be sensibly qualified as science? The answer clearly depends on what 'science' means and whether what is actually done in biorobotics corresponds to this meaning. To respond to this question, we will deploy the distinction between science and so-called technoscience, and isolate different kinds of objects of inquiry in biorobotics research. Capitalising on the distinction between 'proximal' and 'distal' biorobotic hypotheses, we will argue that technoscientific biorobotic studies address proximal hypotheses, whilst scientific biorobotic studies address distal hypotheses. As a result, we argue that bioroboticians can be both considered as scientists and technoscientists and that this is one of the main payoffs of biorobotics. Indeed, technoscientists play an extremely important role in 21st-century culture and in the current critical production of knowledge. Today's world is increasingly technological, or rather, it is a bio-hybrid system in which the biological and the technological are mixed. Therefore, studying the behaviour of robotic systems and the phenomena of animal-robot interaction means analysing, understanding, and shaping our world. Indeed, in the conclusion of the paper, we broadly reflect on the philosophical and disciplinary payoff of seeing biorobotics as a science and/or technoscience for the increasingly bio-hybrid and technical world of the 21st century.

Animal history: an interview with Professor Harriet Ritvo / História dos animais: uma entrevista com a professora Harriet Ritvo

Abstract It was in the 1980s that a new field in historical studies began to emerge, the animal history, or more specifically the history of human-animal relations. Harriet Ritvo - an eminent American historian and Emeritus Professor at Massachusetts Institute of Technology - is a pioneer in this field. Her career has been dedicated, among other activities, to researching, writing, teaching and lecturing on the subject. In this interview, Professor Ritvo talks about aspects of her academic trajectory, as well as important features of animal history, such as interactions between this area and other fields in which she also works: environmental history, the history of science and the history of technology.

Resumo Na década de 1980 começou a surgir um novo campo nos estudos históricos, a história dos animais, ou, mais especificamente, a história das relações entre os seres humanos e os animais. Harriet Ritvo - eminente historiadora norte-americana e professora emérita do Massachusetts Institute of Technology - é pioneira nessa área. Sua carreira tem sido dedicada à pesquisa, à escrita, ao ensino e à apresentação de palestras sobre o assunto. Nesta entrevista, Ritvo fala sobre aspectos de sua trajetória acadêmica e também sobre importantes questões da história dos animais, tais como as interações dessa área com outros campos nos quais ela também atua: história ambiental, história da ciência e história da tecnologia.

Producción de sueros y vacunas en Chile, la importancia del abastecimiento local / Production of vaccines in Chile, the importance of local supply

Resumen En Chile, se produjeron vacunas desde fines del siglo XIX hasta inicios del siglo XXI de manera ininterrumpida. La producción se realizó en institutos del Estado, desde donde se abastecía al Servicio de Salud para los programas de vacunación. Además de fabricar, envasar y distribuir vacunas, los institutos del Estado, en particular el Instituto Bacteriológico (IB), exportaron vacunas a Latinoamérica y realizaron investigación y desarrollo, destacándose en este ámbito con la vacuna Fuenzalida-Palacios para el control de la rabia humana y canina. El presente estudio provee un listado de vacunas producidas en Chile en los institutos del Estado entre fines del siglo XIX y el año 2005, y una discusión sobre las visiones del rol de Estado que justificaron las acciones respecto de la producción de vacunas en Chile. El Estado desarrollista de mediados del siglo XX, dio paso al Estado neoliberal que se institucionalizó con la constitución de 1980 definiendo el rol subsidiario que ha guiado la discusión en materia de producción de vacunas locales en las últimas décadas.

Abstract In Chile, vaccines were produced from the late 19th century to the early 21st century without interruption. The production was carried out in State institutes, from where the health service was supplied for the vaccination programs. In addition to manufacturing, packaging and distributing vaccines, the State institutes, in particular the Instituto Bacteriológico (IB), exported vaccines to Latin America and carried out research and development, standing out in this area with the Fuenzalida-Palacios vaccine for the control of human and canine rabies. The present study provides a list of vaccines produced in Chile at State institutes between the end of the 19th century and 2005, and a discussion on the visions of the State role that justified the actions regarding the production of vaccines in Chile. The developmental State of the mid-twentieth century gave way to the neoliberal State that was institutionalized with the 1980 constitution, which defines the subsidiary role of the State that has guided the discussion on local vaccine production in the last decades.