Week 5: Space + Art

            Throughout this course, we’ve seen art and technology evolve hand in hand, and space exploration presents no exception. Across history, people have looked to the space with great fascination. Our ancient ancestors found and named patterns in the stars, giving birth to constellations.

Constellations: artistic interpretation of the heavens

Source: <http://www.universetoday.com/19516/constellations/>

            As technology enabled us to learn more about space, artists took that information and extrapolated on it, playing on the public interest of the unknown. Ray Bradbury’s short stories from the 1940’s and 50’s, later compiled into “The Martian Chronicles,” imagines the colonization of Mars and the conflicts that could arise between the colonists and native Martians.

Cover art for "The Martian Chronicles,"envisioning aboriginal Martians and their planet

Source: <http://dear-american.com/2013/01/23/rereading-the-martian-chronicles/>

            After the launch of the Sputnik satellite propelled us into the Space Age, kicking off the space race and putting space exploration at the forefront of public consciousness, the prevalence of space travel in popular culture exploded. The advert for the TV series “Lost In Space” commented that the show’s characters are “taking off for the stars, a journey that no longer seems as far out and fantastic as it would have only a few years ago, for now we live in the space age” (Vesna, 2012).

            The concept of space exploration in popular culture isn’t limited to film and television series such as The Jetsons and Star Trek. The infamous Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition 2014 issue features model Kate Upton floating in zero gravity.

Swimsuit model Kate Upton in zero gravity

Source: <http://swimsuit.si.com/swimsuit/models/kate-upton/zero-g-photos>

Additionally, artists have the ability to use space as a medium, such as in Joe Davis’ Microvenus that was discussed in BioTech+Art.

            Space exploration development in the United States has begun to transfer from governmental organizations such as NASA to private companies such as SpaceX, potentially starting a new age in consumer-driven space travel. This era could present a host of complex issues, such as who has territorial or mining rights on extraterrestrial bodies.

Works Cited

Bachman, Justin. "Elon Musk Wants SpaceX to Replace Russia as NASA's Space Station Transport." Bloomberg Business Week. Bloomberg, 30 Apr. 2014. Web. 27 July 2014. <http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2014-04-30/elon-musk-wants-spacex-to-replace-russia-as-nasas-space-station-transport>.

Bradbury, Ray. The Martian Chronicles. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1958. Print.

Dickson, Paul. "Sputnik's Impact on America." PBS, 06 Nov. 2007. Web. 26 July 2014. <http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/space/sputnik-impact-on-america.html>.

Hussain, Zareena. "Science as Art Unites Disciplines." The Tech. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 9 May 2000. Web. 28 July 2014. <http://tech.mit.edu/V120/N26/bioartists.26f.html>.

Kramer, Miriam. "Kate Upton Goes Zero-G for Sports Illustrated's 2014 Swimsuit Issue." Space. 18 Feb. 2014. Web. 28 July 2014. <http://www.space.com/24726-kate-upton-zero-g-sports-illustrated.html>.

Miller, Todd. "Space Exploration and the Culture of Innovation." SF Gate, 28 Mar. 2014. Web. 27 July 2014. <http://blog.sfgate.com/tmiller/2012/03/28/space-exploration-and-the-culture-of-innovation-an-interview-with-neil-degrasse-tyson/>.

Vesna, Victoria. "Space Pt5." YouTube. University of California Online Program, 30 May 2012. Web. 25 July 2014. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WnSUHMXBmdg>.

Event 2: Nano and Bio: Why Do We Care?

            On July 24^th, 2014, I attended Sijie Lin’s presentation “Crossroads of Nano and Bio: Why Do We Care.” Dr. Lin, a postdoctoral researcher at the UCLA California NanoSystems Institute, spoke on his research regarding the effect of nanoparticles on zebrafish embryos and why we should care.

            As the prevalence of nanotechnology increases, so does the amount of nanoparticles a person will come into contact with on a daily basis. Some of these nanoparticle end up being ingested by humans and many leech into the environment. In the United States, there’s no regulation on nanoparticle use and little research has been done on their effects on people and the environment.

            Dr. Lin researches the effect of various nanoparticles on zebrafish. These fish provide a good model for studying both human disease and environmental toxicity because their DNA is 90-95% similar to humans, they have a short gestation period and their embryos are translucent, making defects easy to pinpoint and track.

Zebrafish egg development over 24 hours

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahJjLzyioWM

            Different nanoparticles and nanomaterials are introduced to zebrafish embryos during development and compared to a control group to see their effects. As shown below, some nanoparticles have devastating effects on the fish.

Zebrafish embryos exposed to different nanoparticles (concentration 15 μg/mL) for 72 hours following fertilization (George, Saji, et al., 2011)

            Additionally, Dr. Lin discussed how his lab embraces the integration of different fields of research by using robotics to aid in sample preparation. In working with zebrafish, the transfer of their embryos to individual containers for experimentation would be the limiting factor for the number of tests that could be run. A small robot that identifies each embryo and pipettes them into their respective containers decreases sample preparation time from as much as one hour down to five minutes.

Technology + Art: A robot similar to the one shown is used to visually locate individual embryos and transfer them to individual wells in the sample plates

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ouPBX65kXU

            While nanotechnology isn’t all bad, this research implies that many of the nanoparticles in use, including the silver nanoparticles that we learned are prevalent in our clothing, cosmetics and food packaging, can have adverse environmental and human side effects. One of the larger points I've taken away from this class is that major technical innovations such as the ones that lead to the field of nanotechnology create paradigm shifts that can lead to their use outpacing the spread of information on their potential harm. Artists of many types take it upon themselves to spread this information and stimulate discussion of these topics. In the case of nanotechnology use, It’s extremely important to spread awareness and begin regulating the use of certain nanoparticles and nanomaterials. Overall, I would strongly recommend this event to my classmates because more people need to be aware of this alarming issue.

Sijie Lin and myself

Works Cited

Deneen, Sally. "Toxic Nanoparticles Are Entering the Food Supply." MSN News, 29 Aug. 2013. Web. 25 July 2014. <http://news.msn.com/rumors/rumor-toxic-nanoparticles-are-entering-the-food-supply>.

Duncan, Timothy V. "Applications of nanotechnology in food packaging and food safety: barrier materials, antimicrobials and sensors." Journal of colloid and interface science 363.1 (2011): 1

George, Saji, et al. "Use of a high-throughput screening approach coupled with in vivo zebrafish embryo screening to develop hazard ranking for engineered nanomaterials." Acs Nano 5.3 (2011): 1805-1817.

Kimmel, Charles B., et al. "Stages of embryonic development of the zebrafish."Developmental dynamics 203.3 (1995): 253-310.

Spitsbergen, Jan M., and Michael L. Kent. "The state of the art of the zebrafish model for toxicology and toxicologic pathology research—advantages and current limitations." Toxicologic pathology 31.1 suppl (2003): 62-87.

Xia, Tian, et al. "Decreased dissolution of ZnO by iron doping yields nanoparticles with reduced toxicity in the rodent lung and zebrafish embryos."Acs Nano 5.2 (2011): 1223-1235.

Week 5: NanoTech + Art

            The introduction of nanotechnology created a paradigm shift, opening myriad new pathways for the exploration of both science and art. While modern nanotechnology can be traced back to Physicist Richard Feynman’s 1959 talk, “There’s Plenty of Room at the Bottom,” nanotech principles can be found both in nature and in antiquity.

            One of the oldest examples of nanotechnology is a Roman cup from around AD400, the Lycurgus Cup, made of dichroic glass, which has embedded colloidal gold and silver nanoparticles that cause the glass to change color when light passes through it. In nature, the nanoscale patterns in a butterfly’s wing manipulate light waves, creating the illusory perception of beautiful, vibrant colors.

            A common applications of nanotechnology is in semiconductor manufacturing, allowing for today's compact computers.

Nanowire array I created via nanoimprint lithography, a common process in semiconductor manufacturing

3D image of nanowire array taken with an atomic force microscope

Analysis of nanowire array taken with an atomic force microscope

            Nanotechnology is prevalent in our everyday lives, even though we generally don't realize it. Some modern clothing contains nanoparticles to give them stain and wrinkle resistance, as well as antimicrobial properties. Another application of nanoparticles is in food packaging, often to keep it from spoiling. Unfortunately, there’s no regulation of this in the United States, leading to toxic nanoparticles leeching into the food without the consumer’s knowledge.

            Nanotechnology is on the forefront of scientific research, leading to revolutionary products such as lab-on-a-chip, which combine multiple laboratory functions onto a single microchip. It has also paved the way for the possibility of drug-delivering nanoparticles, which could increase the potency and decrease the side effects of conventional drugs. 

Cancer cells displaying phosphorescence as a result of GFP that I delivered to incubated cells via polyethylenimine nanoparticles

            Technological applications aside, nanotechnology can be used to create unbelievably small art pieces, such as Dirty Dice.

Dirty Dice: Imaged with a scanning electron microscope, each die measures 200 microns across

Source: http://www.nanowerk.com/news/newsid=3811.php

My attempt at nanoscale art: SEM image of a happy face, create using electron beam lithography

            Now that we have the ability to manipulate individual atoms, there are very few limits to what we can create, given an infinite amount of time. As research in the field of nanotechnology continues, there's no telling what amazing technologies will result.

Works Cited

Daw, Rosamund. "Nanotechnology Is Ancient History." Theguardian.com. Guardian News and Media, 24 Apr. 2012. Web. 26 July 2014. <http://www.theguardian.com/nanotechnology-world/nanotechnology-is-ancient-history>.

Duncan, Timothy V. "Applications of nanotechnology in food packaging and food safety: barrier materials, antimicrobials and sensors." Journal of colloid and interface science 363.1 (2011): 1-24.

Fair, Richard B. "Digital microfluidics: is a true lab-on-a-chip possible?."Microfluidics and Nanofluidics 3.3 (2007): 245-281.

Gimzewski, Jim, and Victoria Vesna. "The nanoneme syndrome: Blurring of fact and fiction in the construction of a new science." Technoetic arts 1.1 (2003): 7-24.

Kaounides, L., Hailing Yu, and T. Harper. "Nanotechnology innovation and applications in textiles industry: current markets and future growth trends."Materials Science and Technology 22.4 (2007): 209-237.

De Jong, Wim H., and Paul JA Borm. "Drug delivery and nanoparticles: applications and hazards." International journal of nanomedicine 3.2 (2008): 133.