DESMA 9 Week 6

Biotechnology has always been an extremely controversial field, especially since the damning documentary entitled “The World According to Monsanto” which highlighted the dangers of using biotechnology. One example of biotechnology gone wrong would be the genetically modified(GMO) wheat, produced by Monsanto. The “super crop” is now a pest in many farms in the United States, since its genetically modified resistance makes the plant hard to kill. Another example would be the bovine growth hormone which Monsanto injected into cows to increase milk production. Unfortunately, this resulted in horrific side effects, like pus growing in the udders of cows. Said pus is then found in the milk produced by the cows. More importantly, due to the udders becoming more susceptible to infection, cows injected with the hormone end up dying. Given the above, it was interesting and yet deeply disturbing for me to learn that artists are dabbling into biotechnology.

Side effect of the growth hormone used by Monsanto

In my opinion, the genetic code of any species should not be modified till the effect of said modification is fully researched. Anyone involved, regardless of profession, should be equally responsible and careful when messing around with genetic code, especially given its ramifications. Like how only surgeons should perform operations, I believe that only dedicated scientist should have the ability to alter genetic code. Testimony to my opinion would be Martha Diminezas’s art work, where she altered the wing patterns of butterflies. As a result, the modified butterflies were found to have holes in their wings, which spelt certain death if they were released into the wild. Thankfully, to our knowledge the altered butterflies were contained in the lab. Should this destructive gene be released into the wild, it would cause a mass extinction of butterflies.

Patterns on the wings of butterflies vary even within the same species

However, that is not to say I do not support the genetic modification of animals. While it may seem hypocritical to support lab work including genetically modified mice, the crux is to understand the purpose of said animal. Most of the lab grown mice are made to stand in for humans in drug test or other life threatening test. Conversely, the butterflies were, at best, made to make a statement. Even if it was to raise awareness of cruelty against lab animals, this would be an extremely ironic and roundabout way to do so. Following in the footsteps of Kathy High, where she adopted and cared for lab grown mice, would be a much better approach to raising awareness. Given the examples mentioned in the lecture, it feels like most artist dabbling in this field seem to be merely capitalizing on biotechnology’s sensationalism in order to increase their own exposure.

One of the lab grown rats adopted by Kathy High for her exhibition

In conclusion, it is my opinion biotechnology should be considered sacred ground and not an opportunity to expand one’s repertoire. While limitless human creativity is a good thing, it also pays to tread lightly when messing around with genetic code, given the severe repercussions it may have on humanity’s well-being. Therefore, laws should keep up with technology before it is too late, as it is with global warming.

Source:

"The World According to Monsanto." DocumentaryHeaven. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 May 2017. <http://documentaryheaven.com/the-world-according-to-monsanto/>.
Lorraine_chow. "Monsanto's Unapproved GMO Wheat Found Growing in Washington State." EcoWatch. EcoWatch, 02 Aug. 2016. Web. 06 May 2017. <http://www.ecowatch.com/monsantos-unapproved-gmo-wheat-growing-washington-1954609745.html>.
Bovine Growth Hormone: Milk does nobody good... N.p., n.d. Web. 06 May 2017. <http://www.ejnet.org/bgh/nogood.html>.
"Laboratory mouse." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 03 May 2017. Web. 06 May 2017. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laboratory_mouse>.
Vesna, Victoria. "5 BioArt Pt2." YouTube. YouTube, 17 May 2012. Web. 06 May 2017.<https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PL9DBF43664EAC8BC7&v=MdSt-Hjyi2I>