An Analysis of the Governance, Ethical, Legal, and Social Implications of Biocomputing.
Biological computing (biocomputing) leverages biologically derived materials and processes, such as DNA and protein synthesis, to perform computational tasks. Biocomputing offers significant advantages over traditional silicon-based systems in terms of scalability, energy efficiency, computational f...
| Published in: | Science & Engineering Ethics Vol. 32; no. 1; pp. 1 - 16 |
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| Main Authors: | , |
| Format: | Article |
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Springer Nature
Feb2026
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| Online Access: | View this record in EBSCOhost |
| fields | @attributes: recordID: 1 pdfLink: plink: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=hlh&AN=191000234&site=ehost-live header: @attributes: shortDbName: hlh uiTerm: 191000234 longDbName: Humanities International Complete uiTag: AN controlInfo: bkinfo: jinfo: jid: 13533452 GNI jtl: Science & Engineering Ethics issn: 13533452 maglogo: N pubinfo: dt: Feb2026 vid: 32 iid: 1 pid: 237 pub: Springer Nature artinfo: ui: 191000234 10.1007/s11948-025-00572-x ppf: 1 ppct: 15 formats: fmt: – @attributes: type: T – @attributes: type: P size: 865KB tig: atl: An Analysis of the Governance, Ethical, Legal, and Social Implications of Biocomputing. aug: au: Sirbu, Renée A. Floridi, Luciano affil: https://ror.org/03v76x132 Yale Digital Ethics Center, Yale University, 85 Trumbull Street, 06511, New Haven, CT, USA https://ror.org/01111rn36 Department of Legal Studies, University of Bologna, Via Zamboni 22, 40100, Bologna, Italy su: Biocomputers Ethics Social impact Organizational governance Legal doctrines Patentability Biosafety sug: subj: Biocomputers Ethics Social impact Organizational governance Legal doctrines Patentability Biosafety keyword: Biocomputing Biological data ownership Ethical implications Governance frameworks Law and Legal Studies Law Regulatory oversight ab: Biological computing (biocomputing) leverages biologically derived materials and processes, such as DNA and protein synthesis, to perform computational tasks. Biocomputing offers significant advantages over traditional silicon-based systems in terms of scalability, energy efficiency, computational flexibility, and information storage potential. However, the distinct operational characteristics of biocomputing raise novel governance, ethical, legal, and social implications (GELSI). This article identifies and analyzes key GELSI concerns raised by biocomputing. It then highlights the inadequacies of current regulatory frameworks in addressing the unique challenges posed by massively parallel molecular computations, biosafety risks, probabilistic error management in clinical applications, patentability of biological storage systems, and ownership rights in self-replicating data systems. The analysis concludes by recommending specialized regulatory approaches and international collaboration to govern biocomputing technologies responsibly, ensuring their ethical integration and equitable benefits across global societies. pubtype: Academic Journal doctype: Article src: R language: English refInfo: copyright: @attributes: flag: Y custom: Science & Engineering Ethics is a copyright of Springer, 2026. All Rights Reserved. item: Science & Engineering Ethics holder: Springer Nature dt: @attributes: year: 2026 holdings: @attributes: islocal: N |
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