Week 6- BioTech + Art

I once again found that this weeks topic of discussion was vastly interesting. I feel one of the ways this is the case has to do with the fact that biology has been one of my favorite if not my favorite subject in school throughout my life. In many ways the world of biology is always evolving and in many has endless range of possibilities. I find that the subject of the arts has many similarities in that respect due to the fact that it to is always changing. In addition, there is no limit to the creativity that an artist can bring into the sphere of his artistic realm and it is at that intersection that these two philosophies collide.

After going through the different examples of how these two schools of thought intersect I discovered that the most interesting topic in my opinion was that of Alba the fluorescent bunny. The discoveries that came of this scientific experiment or trial would then go on to revolutionize the ways of thinking medically in the human body from a biological standpoint.

Alba was injected with a bioluminescent gene from a jellyfish that essentially made him glow in the dark. This project would require the knowledge of biologists, neuroscientists, and artists alike to collaborate in order to have a successful trial with Alba. This is dually fascinating because this experiment would allow scientists and biologists to discover a way in which they could alter or inject different genes into a human. Additionally, this use of a bioluminescent being used as a marker in a human body could notify doctors about the potential onset of certain diseases or illnesses that if caught early enough could hopefully save an individuals life. I believe that this weeks topic is yet again a beautiful example of how on the surface it may not appear as if these subjects overlap, but when investigated further we find that they do in fact intertwine in several ways. It is for this reason that the intersection of these subjects has lead to and will continue to lead to a prosperous world. 

Sources:

Dunlap, P. “Biochemistry and Genetics of Bacterial Bioluminescence.” Advances in Pediatrics., U.S. National Library of Medicine, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25084994.

“Green Fluorescent Protein - Cool Uses - Alba.” Connecticut College, Connecticut College, www.conncoll.edu/ccacad/zimmer/GFP-ww/cooluses8.html.

KuroKarasu. “Bio-Art: Alba.” And I Think to Myself...What A Wonderful World., 1 Jan. 1970, myths-made-real.blogspot.com/2011/09/bio-art-alba.html.

“Mutant Bunny.” New Scientist, New Scientist, www.newscientist.com/article/dn16-mutant-bunny/.

National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), www.genome.gov/glossary/index.cfm?id=86.

Onion, Amanda. “Artist's Glowing, Live Rabbit Creation Causes Fuss.” ABC News, ABC News Network, abcnews.go.com/Technology/story?id=119939&page=1.

Philipkoski, Kristen. “RIP: Alba, the Glowing Bunny.” Wired, Conde Nast, 4 June 2017, www.wired.com/2002/08/rip-alba-the-glowing-bunny/.

staff, Science X. “How Our Cells Use Mother's and Father's Genes.” Medical Xpress - Medical Research Advances and Health News, Medical Xpress, 28 Sept. 2016, medicalxpress.com/news/2016-09-cells-mother-father-genes.html.