Biotechnology, Neuroscience, and Art

The first subject for this week's lectures was biotechnology. Biotechnology seeks to alter nature through forms of genetic engineering, used to alter an organism's DNA by either modifying existing DNA or inserting completely foreign genetic material.

One famous such use of biotechnology is the case of Osamu Shimomura's green fluorescent protein, GFP. Prior to this week's lecture, I had heard of GFP, as it is often used in scientific experiments in order to monitor a drug's effectiveness by looking for the expression of the fluorescent protein. However, I had not previously heard of works of art using fluorescent protein, such as Alba, Eduardo Catz's fluorescent albino bunny, which he presented as a living work of "transgenic art." The incorporation of a living organism into a work of art is obviously a controversial topic, as it brings up the topic of whether or not it is ethical to engineer an animal for purposes that do not have an exact purpose or goal, unlike scientific research. Personally, I feel that it is not ethical to create an organism merely for use in art, because unlike scientific research, works of art are not for the greater good. Although the alteration of one bunny may bring enjoyment or even inspire artists, the sacrifice of one bunny's quality of life does not have the possible payoff of revealing a cure for human (or rabbit) diseases.

GFP has been incorporated into many animals, even larger ones, such as cats.

The incorporation of biotechnology into art, combined with a heavy does of grotesque imagination, created works of art that I never before would have never considered.  A prime example of this is Orlan's "Harlequin Coat", which was a coat made up of in-vitro created skin cells. Although based upon a premise I personally find sickening, Orlan's intent was in fact quite beautiful and fascinating, and was to pursue the idea of the hybridization of beauty.

http://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/200512/mixed-race-pretty-face

A fascinating article which explores the biological reasons behind the aesthetic appeal of mixed race.

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An area mapping of the brain resembling the work of  Franz Joseph Gall

The second of this week's topics was neuroscience. Neuroscience is a fascinating field which deals with the inner workings of the brain, and historically also explored the meaning of consciousness and its origins.

The first theory that intrigued and stood out to me was Aristotle's theory of the brain. I found the theory that the brain was merely a cooling mechanism for the blood to be fascinating. I had never heard the theory before, and had I not known better myself, I could have believed the theory. The thought that the massive surface area of the inner folds of the brain serve as a heat sink is intuitive and seemingly makes perfect sense to someone who has never studied psychology or neuroscience.

Similar to a computer heat-sink, Aristotle believed the brain used its large surface area to dissipate heat and cool blood

I also found it extremely startling that drugs such as cocaine and LSD, which are seen as hardcore drugs today, were so commonplace that they were widely sold as "cure-alls" to the general public. Having read "Brave New World" back in high school, I had never drawn the connection that "soma" was in fact based upon Aldous Huxley's own experimentations with LSD. I also found it to be incredible that a Harvard psychology professor (Timothy Leary) did experiments with LSD with he and his grad students as subjects, and it was seen as perfectly acceptable. Even scarier was Project MKULTRA, which was a secret government program which secretly drugged citizens with LSD in order to test their effects. Such a crazy secret government project raises the question of what secret projects the government is working on in the present day.

"Boosts Personality!"

To address the topic's raised by Ruth West, I believe that artists certainly should be limited in their artistic use of scientific knowledge. In the case of scientific research, animals are being genetically engineered in order to benefit humanity in a measurable way. However, although artists do create and expose new and interesting ideas and explore important issues through their work, art does not directly save lives. For this reason, I feel that artists should not be allowed to potentially decrease an organism's quality of life for the sake of a work of art. Furthermore, I believe that the idea behind an artists work may often times still be able to be displayed without the use of genetically engineered animals.

What is your view on the ethical dilemma?

- Ty

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What can this glow-in-the-dark kitten teach scientists about AIDS?. N.d. Array. io9.comWeb. 22 Jul 2013. <http://io9.com/5839156/what-can-this-glow in the dark-kitten-teach-scientists-about-aids>.

Adams, William. "Mixed Race, Pretty Face?."Psychology Today. N.p., 1 1 2006. Web. 22 Jul. 2013. <http://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/200512/mixed-race-pretty-face>.

Kirsch, Nathan. OCZ Cooling Update: V-12 HSF and Cryo-Z. N.d. Array. Legit ReviewsWeb. 22 Jul 2013. <http://www.legitreviews.com/article/401/>.

"What Happens to Your Body If You Drink a Coke Right Now." 25 Jun 2010. N.p., Online Posting to The Seeker of Good Songs. Web. 22 Jul. 2013. <http://www.morrissey-solo.com/threads/109775-What-Happens-to-Your-Body-If-You-Drink-a-Coke-Right-Now>.

Paul, Annie. "What Kids Should Know About Their Own Brains." MindShift. N.p., 5 Apr 2012. Web. 22 Jul. 2013. <http://blogs.kqed.org/mindshift/2012/04/what-kids-should-know-about-their-own-brains/>.

"Biotechnology." Wikipedia. N.p., n. d. Web. 22 Jul. 2013. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biotechnology>.

"Neuroscience." Wikipedia. N.p., n. d. Web. 22 Jul. 2013. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neuroscience>.