Science can be cuddly . . .
Sarah Jones
There once was a time when I would have written this out by hand and used a real dictionary to check my spelling. I probably would have needed white-out, which smells and makes me light-headed. In those days, I also would have used strings of random codes (DOS anyone?) to open the game Wheel of Fortune, and Vanna White would clap in three disjointed movements. It was painful then and more so now, especially when compared to today’s computer games. These are only a few of the reasons I appreciate technology, and I’m generally looking forward to what science comes up with next.
Perhaps that’s one of the reasons I was so affronted when my two little cousins made it known that they are both hoping to avoid science when they reach high school. Apparently science is intimidating, but even worse — they seemed to think that science wasn’t much more than suspenders, periodic tables and lonely Friday nights! That hurt. Science is the entire world around us — how could that possibly be boring?
Seriously now, there is a lot of great stuff going on in the world of science. From nectarines to Chihuahuas, traditional versions pale in comparison with the latest genetically modified ones. We’ve refined our techniques and patented glow-in-the-dark albino rabbits and goats that produce spider’s silk. As long as the next pandemic doesn’t wipe us out, we’ll soon be able to create an entire zoo of novel creatures. My first stop would be to visit the spider-goats.
Spider goats are being bred in Petri dishes in Quebec, a project commissioned by the U.S. army. Researchers are hoping that the goats will soon be able to mass-produce the same silk that spiders use to make webs. Because they kept eating each other, farming spiders directly failed to work. The biodegradable BioSteel (not yet woven tight enough to live up to the hype) is desirable for its strength and the cumbersome nature of current bulletproof materials.
At this strange zoo, mice would likely get an entire pavilion. I think the super-fat mice and those with induced male-pattern baldness will be especially popular. And these are only two examples of hundreds, if not thousands of genetically manipulated mice. I mean, I’m a lowly undergrad and I’ve worked with mice that, under the right light, glow in the dark! My mice were built with the same green fluorescent protein that Eduardo Kac, a Spanish artist, added to his most famous project, a glow-in-the-dark rabbit named Alba. Alba is the product of combining a normal rabbit embryo with jellyfish genes.
Not only does science cross over into the world of art, but also music. There’s a DJ in Melbourne who enjoys the unpredictable variations that result from the mould that grows on his records. Isn’t science great?
Genetic manipulation has also of course been used for more practical uses. For instance, vitamins and other nutrients have been added to some strains of rice. In fact, rice was involved in some of the first multi-gene experiments. Naturally, the greatest benefits of these developments are medical. Witness what happened with a 57-year-old German man who lost his jaw to cancer.
Doctors created a Teflon frame of his lower jaw, then bathed it in a concoction of proteins and inserted the creation into his shoulder where his body coated it in bone. (Sounds less painful than Madam Pomfrey’s Skele-gro. Oh, and for another Harry Potter reference, there were recent murmurs about the invention of an invisibility cloak — or optical camouflage if you prefer). They then removed the new bone from his shoulder and were able to transplant it rather easily into his mouth without fear of rejection because the cells were all his own. Yum! After nearly a decade without a jaw, he was able to eat steak again!
Of course, there are those who feel that these creative Frankensteins shouldn’t be given free range. That’s not unreasonable. Sure, science makes machines to beat chess champions and remove chocolate stains from white pants, but science is also responsible for bombs and bioterrorism. While I applaud a general caution in light of the speed of these advancements, I think that some of the reasons used to justify a fear of science are misplaced.
By claiming that growing embryos for the purpose of their murder is evil and morally wrong, George Bush has forced all stem-cell research underground by removing public funding — this from a man who raised cattle to butcher them. The U.K. is one of only a few countries to take a pro-research stance. They may well learn how to keep the Queen alive long enough to ensure that Charles’ head doesn’t make its way onto our currency.
For those who worry that perhaps some of our brave new technologies will be used for some destructive purpose, I can do nothing to convince you otherwise. In fact, I support a critical examination of the latest results. However, I will remind you of the poor schmuck who thought that inventing dynamite would end all war. Indeed, he could not imagine a world in which soldiers fought with such vicious weapons. After seeing the destruction wrought by his creation, Alfred Nobel created a peace prize that has secured him a more positive legacy. In the end, the difference between scary science and bunny-rabbit science is not quite as clear as would be supposed.
Sarah Jones is currently a student in continuing education. She also holds a bachelors degree in microbiology.
