Page - 86 - in Critical Issues in Science, Technology and Society Studies - Conference Proceedings of the 17th STS Conference Graz 2018

1. The depth of intervention into systems or organisms resulting in a. High technological power due to the modification of controlling structures (like genes) and additionally the specific power of the altered trait. With regard to risk as a function of hazard and exposure, technological power is related to the hazard potential of a technology. b. High range based on capabilities of altered organisms like persistence, capability of self-replication, mobility, advantages in fitness, life-expectancy, invasiveness, travel distance and self-limiting or self-sustaining qualities. The range of a technology determines the potential risk of applications via the exposure potential or the potential of contamination, respectively. 2. The intensity of intervention with the quantity and frequency of application and release as relevant factors. Quantity and frequency both have an influence on the hazard potential as well as the exposure potential. 3. The reliability of the technology in practice or in other words: its probability of failure. 4. The corrigibility (damage limitation, reconstitution) in case of failure. A general technology characterization is fruitful as a source of knowledge for precautionary action in earliest phases of innovation including basic research without any regard to possible applications. In later phases, when applications of emerging technologies can be identified more clearly, not only the technology itself serves as a basis for the estimation of potential risk- determining properties. Concrete applications enable an analysis of the vulnerability of potentially affected ecological, socio-economic or socio-ecological systems in which respective applications take place. Such an analysis of affected systems can be differentiated into a: a. general, ‘structural’ analysis of vulnerability, focusing on weak points independent of any expectable external disturbing intervention and b. a rather application-oriented, ‘event-based’ vulnerability analysis with regard to a specific disturbing event, e. g. the release of GMOs. (cp. Gößling-Reisemann et al. 2013) Both determine the sensitivity of potentially affected systems either by theoretically analyzing the impact of possible adverse effects of a technology (b) or a general analysis of elements that are critical for the systems integrity and function (a) (Gößling-Reisemann et al. 2013). Conclusion By now not only the initial theoretical concept of gene drives reveals the new quality of genetic engineering that comes along with this new technological stage: First experiments in yeast and insects gave an impression of their effectiveness (cp. Champer, Buchman, and Akbari 2016). Power and range of gene drives potentially exceed the capabilities of previous stages in genetic engineering. Therefore, it seems to be justified to call this stage „active genetics“ as suggested by Gantz and Bier (Gantz and Bier 2016). In contrast to previous releases of GMO, a release of gene drive modified organisms (GDMO) and the spread of their drives is intended to actively 86