Week 6: BioTech + Art

-

   BioTechnology by definition is "technology that utilizes biological systems, living organisms or parts of this to develop or create different products". Think about everyday life. Think about all the innovations and creations we have made due to biotechnology. BioTech is used in agriculture, medicine, personal care, ect. All everyday things we use everyday. 

    

    For me, I have never minded the uses of biotech. In fact I love all food regardless if its organic, full of GMO's, or bad for you. In a video created by every day eaters of the fabulous fast food restaurant McDonalds, the guy puts different items off the menu into jars. He puts a quarter pounder in one, a big mac in another, fries in one, and so on so fourth. Then in a few other jars, he distributes fries from a normal restaurant, and a burger not from McDonalds into another jar. Every few weeks he checks in on the food. Disgustingly enough, everything got moldy and rotted. Except for one thing. The McDonalds Fries. The fries did not rot, mold, or even perspirate after 10 weeks of being locked up in a jar. Now think about those fries being in your stomach. They don't ever break down. That cannot be healthy for you. However, we continue to eat it. Over and over we succumb to the delicious pleasures of this fast food restaurant. How widespread are GM foods? - VoxPioneering Minds

    Although BioTechnology is definitely beneficial in some aspects and has been used to create the worlds most tasty fries, at what cost are we allowing this technology to take over? I will not deny that I still will continue to eat McDonalds fries even after watching that video, but I will definitely think twice about it. The GMO's and chemicals put into our food has continuously reminded us that BioTechnology could be a danger to our health. At the end of the day, these foods are still posing no safety to threat to us according to PBS. So for me, I say keep using BioTech to create delicious food, solve medical issues and grow agriculture. 


Citations:


“Harvest of Fear: Viewpoints.” PBS, Public Broadcasting Service, www.pbs.org/wgbh/harvest/viewpoints/. Accessed 11 May 2024.

“McDonald’s Food Expirament.” YouTube, YouTube, 13 June 2007, www.youtube.com/watch?v=6us9kHHSNwk.

“Navigation.” NTNU, www.ntnu.edu/ibt/about-us/what-is-biotechnology#:~:text=Biotechnology%20is%20technology%20that%20utilizes,to%20produce%20the%20desired%20product). Accessed 11 May 2024.

Plumer, Brad. “How Widespread Are GM Foods?” Vox, Vox, 3 Nov. 2014, www.vox.com/2014/11/3/18092748/how-widespread-are-gm-foods.

Ray, Alex. “McDonald’s: ‘This Will Go Anyplace. Anyplace.’” Pioneering Minds, 12 Dec. 2017, www.pioneeringminds.com/mcdonalds/.




Comments

  1. izellahsanchezDESMA9May 12, 2024 at 10:02 PM

    I think fast food (and food in general) is such an interesting point to bring up when discussing biotechnology, especially when we think of how normalized it has come to be in our lives. We are so used to foods being bigger and "perfect" looking than what they would actually look like had they not been modified. Our protein, more often than not, is also modified in order to meet demand, but most wouldn't know it without doing research on what happens behind the scenes. Given this, I think there are interesting implications on the manipulation of biological elements especially as they relate to art. Because it is so common in the food industry, how far should criticism of biotechnology being used for art go? Should biotechnology in art be more or less encouraged given how its use for food is mostly encouraged by governments?

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Week 4: MedTech + Art

-
Image
     For centuries, art has shaped society in many ways. From early doctors trying to identify parts of the body to depictions of pain and onward to memorializing beautiful souls. We see these two fields in every day life and it is truly amazing. Furthermore, the juxtaposition of the medical field and the artistic realm has been transformative to the health and formation of society.      When humans starting dissecting bodies, they had to use art in order to make a map of the human body. They had to clearly sketch every detail and shadow in order to identify specific bones, muscles and structures. In addition, it was important to seek the cadavers in order to see the internal anatomy and discover the functions of human parts aside from injury.      According to Virgil Wong, an artist who works with technology to improve human health, "Medicine helps us live longer lives, but art is about why we live"(Virgil Wong).   I think this quote is truly profound in building a culture o
Read more

Week 2: Math + Art

-
Image
       Three insights I have gained from this weeks material includes the beauty of fractals, the theorem of vanishing points and finally the beauty of numbers in the movie "Beautiful Mind". These three topics I found astoundingly interesting. First of all, fractals are these beautiful geometric shapes that form magnificent patterns and can be used in math for topography and include "fractional dimension". I think these shapes are interesting because we can see them in our everyday lives. For example, your walking around and you see a spiderweb weaved in many different angles, ways and forms, with multiple layers to it.            Math and Art are combined everywhere. Additionally, I thought the theorem of vanishing points was very interesting. The parallel lines and non parallel lines point to meet a vanishing point. This point creates a line of vision and it is guided by these lines. Again this feature is not only relevant in the math and art world, but it is noti
Read more

Week 3: Robotics and Art

-
Image
      Industrialization is the key ingredient into making America what it is today. Starting from the first civilization, people have been using tools and technology in order to make life simpler, efficient and all around better.  For example, the printing press created by the Chinese in 1040, allowed for the quicker and quality production of books and newspapers which expanded education and grew the media.       Additionally, philosopher, Walter Benjamin, helped expand the popular culture phenomenon through the production of children's literature and writing about toys, travel, gambling etc. Therefore, the discussion of these topics helped shape society and created a better understanding for the worlds top commodities.       Some may argue that we as a society are moving too fast, and, the industrialization of society is dangerous. The machines and factories that have been created are polluting earth and causing more damage to society. In the movie Wall-e, we follow the last robot
Read more