Artwork that accompanies genetic themed articles can be informative---seems the helix is a staple but sometimes there is an implied message.
Though it's the article text that fascinates me. I read how DNA is employed in art verification, artistic pieces, seafood confirmation, crime detection, data storage, and maybe even biocomputers in the future (Atlantic Magazine). Possibly we will each have a bar code reader app similar to what we have now, but it will be used for DNA barcode reading. I'll know if that fish in a store or restaurant in the actual fish species. Or what if this was used on people. It's like that movie "The Perfect 46" where people divorced and avoided dating people who had DNA that could lead to genetic mutations in offspring or some other incompatibility. And then the story took a darker turn, suggesting there were errors in the computation. Maybe relying on BIG DATA algorithms isn't so perfect. Even so, I do like having knowledge of what seems to be sci-fi ideas. Then again, maybe knowing that an Olympic athlete has a gene that increases red blood cells and oxygen intake might be discouraging for other athletes who don't possess the genetic makeup. I guess for every invention, piece of knowledge, there can be pros and cons. I'm having this feeling about the new iPhone 7 wireless ear buds. By removing the 3.5 headphone jack, and pumping up a better stereo audio, will I now have to hear even louder speaker phone conversations because people haven't charged their ear buds, lost them, or don't have them with them. Will everyone now have to upgrade and spend more money? It's a increase in revenue for companies, and yes it's probably good to upgrade for better tech, but I get tired of this cycle. I have a cemetery cabinet of tech things, all of which distracted me and maybe didn't always make my life better. Yet I continue to be sucked in cause my computer stops working, hard drives die, and my phone slows, so I have no choice but to play into this never ending consumer tech game. Plus I guess like everyone, I'm in search for new equipment and knowledge to make life better, though I wonder when does it become clear that some tech isn't providing a higher quality of life. References for text/images: "The Genes Superhero" by Maria Konnikova, The California Sunday Magazine, 2016 July/August "Fun with DNA" by Sam Kean, The Atlantic, 2016 September "The World’s Most Expensive Medicine is a bust" by Antonio Regalado, MIT Technology Review, May 5 , 2016 “An online store for information about your genes will make it cheap and easy to learn more about your health risks and predispositions” by Antonio Regalado, MIT Technology Review, 2016 |
Blog AuthorTiff Graham (TiGra) experimenting with ideas Archives
December 2024
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