NanoTech + Art

           With the development of science, nanotechnology is a hot topic now. Nanotechnology is science, engineering and technology conducted at the nanoscale, which is about 1 to 100 nanometers. As we all know nanotechnology can be used across all the fields, such as chemistry, biology, physics and engineering. In this week’s lecture, we can see that nanotechnology affects out daily life a lot. Before this week, I only think nanotechnology is only used in science fields; however, what I did not realize is that nanotechnology and art interrelate.

http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/illustration/nanotechnology-illustration-royalty-free-illustration/545863891

            Nano art is a combination of art and nanoscience. Some artists use this in their works, such as John Hart, a mechanical engineer from the University of Michigan. He made a nano portrait of President Barack Obama, called Nanobama. It is hard to finish this kind of portrait. Another application of nanotechnology is nanorobotics, which is the technology of creating machines or robots at or close to the scale of a nanometer.

http://www.revolutionfibres.com/2015/11/nanotechnology-in-art-and-film/

            Although the development of nanotechnology brings us a lot convenience in our daily life, there are some cons for nanotechnology. For example, the nanorobots can be used as dangerous weapons by the terrorists, as these robots are nearly untraceable. Also, because the particles in nanotechnology are very small, problems can actually arise from the inhalation, and people might inhale some asbestos particles. Nanotechnology changed our life, however, there are many pros and cons for nanotechnology, when we develop nanotech, we should consider all the situations for that, and try to eliminate the cons.

https://www.slideshare.net/sayak007/nanorobotics-41469835

Reference

"Nanotechnology in Art and Film." Revolution Fibres. N.p., 01 Nov. 2015. Web. 28 May 2017.

"What Is Nanotechnology?" What Is Nanotechnology? | Nano. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 May 2017.

Wpadmin. "Pros and Cons of Nanotechnology." HRFnd. N.p., 15 May 2014. Web. 28 May 2017.

"Nanorobotics." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, n.d. Web. 28 May 2017.

"Introduction to Nanotechnology." Introduction to Nanotechnology RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 May 2017.

Week 7: Neuroscience + Art

After this week, I know more about art and science is related. The article titled "Neuroculture" by Giovanni Frazzetto and Suzanne Anker impressed me a lot. Obviously, prior to reading it, I knew about the importance of neuroscience in the contemporary culture; however, only after reading it I was able to develop a broader perspective on the issue. Thus, I understood that the scientists have gathered a considerable amount of information regarding the processes that take place in the brain (Striano and Reid 16). That is why it is safe to say that modern scholars have become closer to unraveling the mysteries of it. What is even more important is that the advances of this science will also help people take a new perspective on mind-body dualism (Feinberg and Shafer-Landau 213). 

After all, this is the problem that has fascinated people for centuries. One should note that this fascination with the brain has been particularly popular in the course of the recent decades. One might recall that in the end of the twentieth there have been several movies that explored the role of the brain. Thus, "The Matrix" opened a new perspective on reality, arguing that it is possible to recreate reality by affecting the brain only (Grau 123). People use movies to explain neuroscience to audience, which can make audience more understandable, and also movie sometimes use exaggerate to show that.

Another good example is "Johhny Mnemonic" - that movie shows that it is possible to use one's brain as a flash drive (Packer 155). Recently, the interest towards the secrets of this organ resulted in the movie "Split" that explored dissociative identity disorder (Moline 29). All this shows that the public is really fascinated with the role that brain plays in lives of the people and this is reflected in various elements of culture, particularly entertainment such as movies.

Works Cited

Feinberg, Joel, and Russ Shafer-Landau. Reason and responsibility: readings in some basic problems of philosophy. Boston, MA: Cengage Learning, 2017. Print.

Grau, Christopher. Philosophers explore The Matrix. New York, NY: Oxford U Press, 2005. Print.

Moline, Ronald A. The diagnosis and treatment of dissociative identity disorder: a case study and contemporary perspective. Lanham, MD: Jason Aronson, 2013. Print.

Packer, Sharon. Neuroscience in science fiction films. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers, 2015. Print.

Striano, Tricia, and Vincent Reid. Social cognition: development, neuroscience, and autism. Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell, 2009. Print.

Week 6: BioTech + Art

            What is a genome? The definition of genome is “A genome is an organism’s complete set of genetic instructions. Each genome contains all of the information needed to build that organism and allow it to grow and develop.” Our genome is made up of DNA. Different people has different DNA sequence, and these different sequence guides out growth, development and health. DNA carries lots of information, and the information can determine people’s different characteristics, such as eye color, skin color, and height. All the living cells have a unique genome, which makes each living cells are unique.

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-staking-unknown-genomic-territory.html

            With the development of technology and the deep understanding of genome, many scientists worked on genetically modified product. They can make some new products by changing the DNA sequence based on one product. This technique is significant for human in many area, like art and agriculture. For example, in 2004, an Australian company, Florigene, genetically engineered a “blue” rose for the Japanese company Suntory. The scientists took blue pigment from a pansy and inserted the pansy’s gene into a red rose. They worked with different genes for years to get a “blue” rose. This technique allows scientists to make colorful flowers that cannot be found in the nature. Also, it also provides artists more inspiration to create more paintings.

https://guffeysgreatideas.wordpress.com/2012/11/06/25-engineer-genetically-engineered-flowers/

            Also, advances in biotechnology affect our food. We all know that different food has different nutrition. Therefore, scientists are trying to put multiple nutrition into one food through genetically modification. These organisms are called “genetically modified organisms (GMO)”. Scientists will cultivate the “mixed fruits”. The picture shows the GMO orange.

http://discoveryeye.org/tag/genetically-modified-organism/

 However, there are many arguments about GMO, especially food. Rob Martienssen said: “There has been a mixture of socioeconomic, environmental and other concerns about genetic modification.”

            GMO is important for human, although there are some arguments about it. It is necessary for artist and scientist.

Reference:

"What Is a Genome?" Facts. The Public Engagement Team at the Wellcome Genome Campus, 06 Jan. 2017. Web. 14 May 2017.

"25: Engineer: Genetically Engineered Flowers." Guffeysgreatideas. N.p., 06 Nov. 2012. Web. 14 May 2017.

"Genetically Modified Organism Archives." Discovery Eye Foundation. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 May 2017.

Martienssen, Rob. "The Argument for Genetically Modified Foods." Big Think. N.p., 04 May 2013. Web. 14 May 2017.

Staff, Science X. "Staking out Unknown Genomic Territory." Medical Xpress - Medical Research Advances and Health News. Medical Xpress, 04 Jan. 2013. Web. 14 May 2017.