AlecGoodwinDESMA9

 May 26, 2022                          The most fascinating topic that the DESMA 9 class has explored is the relationship between art and space. Often overlooked, art has historically played a huge role in space exploration and development programs. Beginning in the 1520s, Nicolaus Copernicus first began circulating the idea of a vast solar system- a sun in the middle and plants/moons rotating around it. Although the idea of the sun rotating around the Earth was scientifically proven false, his research globalized the idea of space beyond what was previously discovered. As astronomy began to be studied more in the 1900s, the Cold War starting in 1947 put a spotlight on global space exploration. Just 10 years later, Russian forces launched Sputnik 1 which became the first satellite to ever reach space. Then 2 years later, both Russia and the United States sent their first civilians into space. These events wo...

May 20th, 2022             The relationship between nanotech and Art has been the most difficult lesson to understand thus far. This is primarily due to the heavy blend of math and science nanotech needs to carry out its "basic functions" and my inexperience with advanced scientific topics. Despite these challenges, I have been able to learn a lot about the world of nanotechnology. First introduced by Physicist Richard Feynman in the 1950s, nanotechnology started as a theory of manipulating atoms and different molecules to create a variety of processes on a micro-scale. His theory was a bit farfetched for many and it wasn't until the 1980s that he received more recognition. Later realizing its potential in the 1980s, Eric Dexler further examined the extent of nanotechnology capabilities and concluded its possibilities were vastly overlooked and under-appreciated. His in-depth research, analysis, and findings would set forth the foundation for...

 May 13th, 2022         The world as we know it today is made of plastic. Our oceans, our supermarkets, and even bodies are filled with trillions and trillions of non-degradable microplastics through consumption and waste. But, it hasn't always been this way. As exclaimed in the eye-opening documentary,  This Mortal Plastik  directed by Jesse Irish, plastic wasn't invented until the 1800s by British chemist Alexander Parkes. Due to the decline of the Blue Whale by overfishing, Parkes sought an alternative to replace the once valuable whale oil. This whale oil was once vital for fueling oil lamps, cooking, and even transportation. By learning more about the rich history of plastic, one can grasp the importance of plastic in our present-day society. Unfortunately, plastic is detrimental to our society in a variety of ways.   Plastic fills landfills, takes thousands of years to degrade, causes irreversible health risks including cancer, kills wildlif...

 May 13th, 2022                     The most complex unit thus far has been the relationship between Neuroscience and Art. Neuroscience can be defined as the study of all cognitive and non-cognitive thoughts and behaviors and how our body responds to those functions. For example, touching a hot stove results in neurons, aka sensory sensors, sending pain signals to the brain to quickly release the handoff of the stove. Concerning art and neurosciences' relationship, both come together to create the study of one's rational and irrational thinking and behaviors to create wonderful works of art and endless capabilities including advancements in science and technology. It has been recently discovered that nearly 95% of all dreams are lost when a person wakes up from their sleep, yet the remaining 5% is the reason for all creativity worldwide. The creation of, math, science, agriculture, finance, and all other studies have been ...

 May 6, 2022          The relationship between biotechnology and art can first be seen a few hundred years ago but has predominately become popularized by amazing artists such as Joe Davis, Eduardo Kac, and Zaretsky in the 1950s and 1960s. Although controversial, art scientists became increasingly curious about genetically modifying different animals such as fish and rabbits in ways to completely alter how we know them today. For example, Japanese chemist Osamu Shimomura was the first scientist to discover which green fluorescent protein was responsible for the nighttime glow similar to Halloween glow-in-the-dark sticks. Neat in science, but often frowned upon by animal lovers and human rights activists. Regardless, these advances lead to a rise in biotech art forms that would catch the world by storm. One of my favorite biotech artists of all time, even before relearning about her in this class, has to be Kathy High. Kathy high is an American artist f...