BioTech and Art


This weeks topic of Biotech and Art included a lot of information about projects and work that I had no idea about. Many of the artists mentioned in the lecture worked with genetics, specifically altering the genetics of animals. I can definitely see how many people find the work these artists are doing as controversial. It seems that messing with genetics or biology has this stigma of 'playing God' surrounding it. This is understandable, since if the experiments or art being done have the potential to have absurd, or negative impacts on the animals involved. However, I find this work to be fairly interesting, as it allows us to gain insight into how genes and biology really operate, and has the potential to lead to new discoveries. I think it is important to go about this in an ethical and considerate way though. Animal testing is very controversial, and many people strongly oppose it. Yet, so many modern medial advancements were able to be developed partly because the use of lab animals for tests. Another issue that has gained a lot of attention in recent years is the use of genetic modification in food. Many people are opposed to gmos because their affects on the human body are still unknown, and many people believe they are a health hazard.
Chain restaurants and fast food companies often use gmo ingredients in their food because it is cheaper. This makes many people uneasy, and for good reason. The Mcdonalds Food experiment resource that was listed in this weeks materials shows how each food item breaks down in a jar over the course of a few months. The regular hamburger and fries from a local restaurant broke down much faster than the McDonald's items. The McDonalds items, which contain gmos took longer to break down, and the fries never actually started to break down at all. This just shows that whatever is in these items is unnatural and questionable at the very least. The actual safety of gmos health wise is still debate-able, with many scientists disagreeing on the whether or not they are good or bad.  This weeks topic also reminded me of the human-pig hybrid embryo that was created in a lab with the hope of being able to grow human organs in a host animal for possible transplants. This project was privately funded and very controversial, but the main goal was to help people in need. There is still a long way to go before this technology is available for use, but the fact that an embryo was successfully created is a huge advancement. 
Sources

Blakemore, Erin. “Human-Pig Hybrid Created in the Lab-Here Are the Facts.” National Geographic, National Geographic Society, 26 Jan. 2017, news.nationalgeographic.com/2017/01/human-pig-hybrid-embryo-chimera-organs-health-science/.

Kac, Eduardo. “GFP BUNNY.” NATURAL HISTORY OF THE ENIGMA, www.ekac.org/gfpbunny.html#gfpbunnyanchor.

PBS. “POV | Food, Inc. | Interview with Michael Pollan | PBS.” YouTube, YouTube, 16 Apr. 2010, www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Ty0eehT8Y4.

Vesna, Victoria. “5 Bioart pt1 1280x720.” YouTube, YouTube, 18 Sept. 2013, www.youtube.com/watch?v=PaThVnA1kyg.

javahippo. “McDonalds Food Expirament.” YouTube, YouTube, 12 June 2007, www.youtube.com/watch?v=6us9kHHSNwk.

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