Skip to main content

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>

 

Comments

  1. UnknownMay 17, 2017 at 10:55 PM

    I really enjoyed seeing a point of view that differed from mine. I understand better the cons to what I believed, especially when you pointed out things like the fact that not everyone would be as responsible as necessary, and it could lead to really negative results, like the deaths of the butterflies from holes in their wings. Overall, I really liked reading your blog!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

DESMA 9 Week 3

Growing up, I developed an interest in robots. To me they were smart, immortal, and efficient beings capable of great feats of strength and intelligence. Movies such as The Iron Giant, and the entire Star Wars franchise further reinforced my perception of robots. This love for robotics lead me to read books written by the great science fiction writer, Arthur C. Clarke. Arthur C. Clarke's Most Iconic Work Hence, I was unsurprised to learn that the modern concept for robots was inspired by a play written by a Czech writer, Karel Capek. In many ways, Sir Clarke had a similar impact on the scientific world as Mr Capek. An apt example would be the artificial intelligence computer named HAL 9000, in Sir Clarke’s book entitled “2001: A Space Odyssey”. In the book and the similarly named movie, HAL 9000 is an on-board computer for a spacecraft, responsible for maintaining ship functions and to act as a companion for human crew. However, due to a series of events, HAL malfunction
2 comments
Read more

DESMA 9 Week 4

Despite my major not having anything to do with biology, a lot of what I have learnt in classes in UCLA is associated to medical technologies. One such example would be DNA origami, in which DNA strains are manipulated into different shapes. Normally, DNA strains are akin to a dust bunny, in which random strains are mixed together to form a tumbleweed-like mesh. However, by assigning specific alkyl groups to the strain, one can manipulate the shape of the DNA strains. One practical use of this technology is in allowing science to deploy targeted medicine. By creating a DNA box surrounding the medicine and creating a lock that only opens when in the presence of the target, the medicine can be delivered straight to the target without interacting with any other entities. Evidently, this technology holds much promise in helping humanity’s battle against cancer, where most techniques deployed are untargeted, like chemotherapy. Natural Structure of Multiple DNA Strains Examples of DN
1 comment
Read more

DESMA 9 Week 7

I have always been interested in perception and how easily it can be changed. The classical example of the ambiguous picture of a duck or rabbit is evidence of the volatility of perception. If you were told it was a rabbit, you would naturally see the rabbit first. Similarly, if you were told it was a duck, you would see a duck. Optical illusion in which the drawing can be either a duck or a rabbit Thus, Aldous Huxley’s “The Door of Perception”, in which he details his experience taking a psychedelic substance, piqued my interest. It reminded me of shows like “Alice in Wonderland” or “The Wizard of Oz” where the main characters experienced an entirely different world only to discover that it was all but a figment of their own imagination. Disney's adaptation of Lewis Carroll's classic tale Having watch these films when I was in pre-school, it made me question if my life was part of a story book and I would wake up in a different world once the story was over. I
1 comment
Read more