I would say that this week's topic is a very thought provoking concept among any other that we have covered so far. It is somehow controversial with the impression that biology and art emerge with each other to create an ethical beliefs disturbance, as well as advancing itself in both fields
With the fusion of art and biology, animals are going through their gene altercations. A very surprising fact, I did not come to a realization of how and when does rats became a testing subject for human in the medical studies. It is what we called Transgenic rats or "Test" rats (the rats that are being inserted with foreign DNA into their genome). The altercation of natural species brings up the serious ethical question, and the sophistication generates the controversy in today's society. Also, it does not allow for natural selection because artists and scientists urge to be knowledgable about this subject that potentially lead to a world dilemma.
Furthermore, Professor Vesna mentioned in lecture that Eduardo Kac used florescent gene that comes from jellyfish, with a bunny to produce a glowing bunny purposely for an artwork. In my opinion, my ethical beliefs totally oppose this alteration of nature due to the artistic purpose of the creation. While Kac's description of this mutation stated it as a new form of art, or a transgenic art. Personally, it is unethical for any kinds of living organism to be altered for visual entertainment. It is seems to be the line where art and biology stands apart. There are tons of ways to combine art and biology together without altering a living organisms.
Moreover, genetically modified and cloning are more controversial issues of the stemming of biology and art with animals. As we seen in today's society, gmo food and animal are on the rise. However, consumers are concerning about the effect of eating it. I found this fascinating experiment video on youtube relating to biology. The video shows McDonald's burgers French fries and multiple kinds of burgers over a period of time, and is being compared to the fresh made ones form the resturant. It's very gnarly to see how the McDonalds food just began to mold when the others are already decaying. Imagining what it does inside our body when we eat them. When something is artificial, but if it's not regulated enough, it can lead to person's demise.
On to cloning. It is starting to save lives, but it does brings up the ethical issues that the movie, The Island, points out. It might be benefiting the world, but what is the end of it? Imagine world without death, and the people living to their fullest lives when they know that death is not near. In this case, the human lifespan would be long-lasting, which is also mentioned in biology about exponential growth and logistic growth in population.
It's seems to me that BioArt is a very fast step and the biggest subject that is gradually changing our world. I can see that the quality of life would change, along with the time span of life, and human genuineness can be disappear.
Sources:
"How Did Matilda, Tara and Star Barbie Become Transgenic Rats?"Embracing Animal. Web. 13 May 2018. <http://www.embracinganimal.com/transrats.html>.
Javahippo. "McDonald's Food Expirament." YouTube. YouTube, 12 June 2007. Web. 13 May 2018. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6us9kHHSNwk#action=share>.
Kac, Eduardo. "GFP BUNNY." GFP BUNNY. Web. 03 July 2016. <http://www.ekac.org/gfpbunny.html#gfpbunnyanchor>.
Levy, Ellen K.. “Defining Life: Artists Challenge Conventional Classifications.” DESMA 9. Web. 13 May 2018.
Vesna, Victoria. "5 BioArt Pt1." YouTube. Uconlineprogram, 17 May 2012. Web. 13 May 2018. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PL9DBF43664EAC8BC7&time_continue=578&v=jUENH6GLzXY>.
Images:
All About Transgenic Rats. Digital image. Embracing Animal. Web. 13 May 2018. <http://www.embracinganimal.com/transrats.html>.
Holpuch, Amanda. “Scientists Breed Glow-in-the-Dark Rabbits.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 13 Aug. 2013, www.theguardian.com/world/2013/aug/13/glow-in-dark-rabbits-scientists.
Stokes, Natasha. The Island. Digital image. Natashastokes.com. WordPress.com, 27 Apr. 2016. Web. 13 May 2016. <https://natashastokes.com/2008/04/27/clone-alone/>.
With the fusion of art and biology, animals are going through their gene altercations. A very surprising fact, I did not come to a realization of how and when does rats became a testing subject for human in the medical studies. It is what we called Transgenic rats or "Test" rats (the rats that are being inserted with foreign DNA into their genome). The altercation of natural species brings up the serious ethical question, and the sophistication generates the controversy in today's society. Also, it does not allow for natural selection because artists and scientists urge to be knowledgable about this subject that potentially lead to a world dilemma.
Furthermore, Professor Vesna mentioned in lecture that Eduardo Kac used florescent gene that comes from jellyfish, with a bunny to produce a glowing bunny purposely for an artwork. In my opinion, my ethical beliefs totally oppose this alteration of nature due to the artistic purpose of the creation. While Kac's description of this mutation stated it as a new form of art, or a transgenic art. Personally, it is unethical for any kinds of living organism to be altered for visual entertainment. It is seems to be the line where art and biology stands apart. There are tons of ways to combine art and biology together without altering a living organisms.
Sources:
"How Did Matilda, Tara and Star Barbie Become Transgenic Rats?"Embracing Animal. Web. 13 May 2018. <http://www.embracinganimal.com/transrats.html>.
Javahippo. "McDonald's Food Expirament." YouTube. YouTube, 12 June 2007. Web. 13 May 2018. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6us9kHHSNwk#action=share>.
Kac, Eduardo. "GFP BUNNY." GFP BUNNY. Web. 03 July 2016. <http://www.ekac.org/gfpbunny.html#gfpbunnyanchor>.
Levy, Ellen K.. “Defining Life: Artists Challenge Conventional Classifications.” DESMA 9. Web. 13 May 2018.
Vesna, Victoria. "5 BioArt Pt1." YouTube. Uconlineprogram, 17 May 2012. Web. 13 May 2018. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PL9DBF43664EAC8BC7&time_continue=578&v=jUENH6GLzXY>.
Images:
All About Transgenic Rats. Digital image. Embracing Animal. Web. 13 May 2018. <http://www.embracinganimal.com/transrats.html>.
Holpuch, Amanda. “Scientists Breed Glow-in-the-Dark Rabbits.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 13 Aug. 2013, www.theguardian.com/world/2013/aug/13/glow-in-dark-rabbits-scientists.
Stokes, Natasha. The Island. Digital image. Natashastokes.com. WordPress.com, 27 Apr. 2016. Web. 13 May 2016. <https://natashastokes.com/2008/04/27/clone-alone/>.
You bring up an excellent point; while it is common to use rats in experiments, there must have been a point in time when using rats or animals in experiments was controversial. This is one of my concerns regarding BioArt. While many people have expressed concern and opposition against many BioArt projects, including Alba the GFP Bunny, the project was still carried out and set a precedent. As more BioArt projects are carried out, it will stop becoming an anomaly and become more of a commonality. It is quite worrying to know that there is a high chance that BioArt will eventually become acceptable in our society.
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