week 9

Visual arts has always been on the cutting edge of meager cultural. Within the story telling they push the boundaries of space travel and technology. Movies such as gravity offer a creative illustration of real life science.  Space movies indulge our imaginations as we reflect to the outer limits prompting our own creativity and inventiveness. Our minds conjure thoughts about what may exist beyond what we see, and movie art continually pushes the limits of these imageries.  Development of places like the International Space Station began from this.  The international space station combines the arts of science, technology, and the concept of nanotechnology. 

The international space station is one of NASA’s the most powerful development, as it will further develop technology and robotics.  The leading research now in space expiration is nanotechnology, making big things small. According to research nanotechnology could lead to robots you can hold on your fingertips, a new evolution of self -healing space suits and many other devises. The innovation of nanotechnology beginning with space exploration will eventually have an impact on society, both economically and culturally.    There is further research on how nanotechnology could produce products that will be able to be used for advances in the medical field, and computer science technology.


Dunbar, Brian. "The Next Giant Leap." NASA. NASA, 05 Aug. 2005. Web. 31 May 2015. <http://www.nasa.gov/vision/earth/technologies/27jul_nanotech.html>.

NASA. NASA, n.d. Web. 31 May 2015. <http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/main/onthestation/facts_and_figures.html>.

"HSF - International Space Station." HSF - International Space Station. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 May 2015. <http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/station/index.html>.

Tate, Karl. "The International Space Station: Inside and Out (Infographic) | Space.com." N.p., n.d. Web. 31 May 2015. <http://www.space.com/3-international-space-station.html>.

week 8

Nanotechnology is the manipulation of matter sized in nanometers that can be prevalent in everything we see and do.  Being used for medicine and every day products this is something that we don't ever think about but is impacting the world.  Since Nanometers are one-billionth of a meter, a hundred-thousandth the width of a human hair, this is a new element that we could use to create better products both in the medical field and out. Nanotechnology is so new that no one is really sure what is to come of it. Researchers believe from the ability to reproduce things like diamonds and food, nanotechnology also has the ability to change ones self into a functioning robot. The effects of nanotechnology are unknown because Scientists still don't know enough about what it can do and how it could affect us.  This is why it has become a goal to a research it as much as possible to fully grasp the concept. 

Some of the easier understood forms of nanotechnology lies within the sports world as they are used in tennis balls, golf balls, tennis rackets. These products use nanostructure in their building materials to give them enhanced and better performance. For example, nanotechnology could make a golf ball fly farther and straighter. Giving our world something new to focus on to further improve our lively hood. 

Bonsor, Kevin, and Jonathan Strickland. HowStuffWorks. HowStuffWorks.com, n.d. Web. 25 May 2015. <http://science.howstuffworks.com/nanotechnology1.htm>.

"Nanotechnology in Medicine - Nanomedicine." Nanotechnology in Medicine. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 May 2015. <http://www.understandingnano.com/medicine.html>.

"Nanotechnology in Sports Equipment: The Game Changer." Nanotechnology in Sports Equipment: The Game Changer. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 May 2015. <http://www.nanowerk.com/spotlight/spotid=30661.php>.

"U.S. Food and Drug Administration." Nanotechnology. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 May 2015. <http://www.fda.gov/ScienceResearch/SpecialTopics/Nanotechnology/default.htm>.

Neuroscience+Art

The relation between art and neuroscience or cognitive development is a topic that is especially interesting to me as it impacted how I learned as a young student.  What I learned this week supported idea of my personal cognitive growth and how it helps academic success.  The study of the mental processes in how we learn and the arts have shown that involvement in the arts play an important role in brain development.  For instance, learning to make music and listening to music can strengthen a child’s spatial reasoning.  Neuroscientists are finding that listening to music helps raise an IQ and can physically strengthen your brain.  They have also found that there is a direct correlation between brains stimulated by music and brains stimulated by math.  It’s an intriguing understanding that this art form can play an important part in math and the sciences. 

The arts can directly be connected with the elements of how the brain learns. Research in this area indicates that the brain learns best in rich, complex, and multi-sensory environments and the emotional interaction that happens while participating in an art can influence the learning process.   

How our brains perceive art and what it does with it helps us understand the emotional and decision-making part of the brain.  How we see lines and color or hear sound, feel rhythm helps scientists understand how the brain processes these particular properties and then how specific parts of the are affected.  The effects of art can be correlated to the production of emotions from different parts of the brain.  For example how fear is produced from the brain, the amygdala, or pleasure from the nucleus accumbens, and problem solving in the prefrontal cortex.  This understanding overall has helped students when they are exposed to art in an effective way develop cognitive, social and emotional skills necessary to be successful in academics, but more importantly, in life. 

"Art and Neuroscience: A State of the Union." The Beautiful Brain RSS. N.p., 09 Sept. 2012. Web. 18 May 2015. <http://thebeautifulbrain.com/2012/09/art-and-neuroscience-state-of-the-union/>.

Section III. London: n.p., 1896. Web.http://www.nasaa-arts.org/Research/Key-Topics/Arts-Education/rbc-toolkit-section3.pdf

"NeuroScience in Art Therapy." NeuroScience in Art Therapy. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 May 2015. <http://neuroarttherapy.blogspot.com/>.

"Art and the Limits of Neuroscience." Opinionator Art and the Limits of Neuroscience Comments. N.p., 04 Dec. 2011. Web. 18 May 2015. <http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/12/04/art-and-the-limits-of-neuroscience/?_r=0>.

Bioart week 6

Bioart has become an increasingly popular form of expression, but also a more debated topic.  Artists are taking advantage of life processes to produce art.  The controversy between what is considered living versus being alive creates ethical issues.  An exhibit at the Museum of Modern Art, Paola Antonelli uses mouse tissue as the centerpiece.  The tissue is living, but when it got to the point where too much was growing, they had to cut off their nutrients and “kill” the exhibit(Miranda).  Although the idea for such a medium is interesting, I do not believe it is ethically sound to create life in a laboratory to test it or kill it.  However, this being said, there should be separate standards for creating or manipulating living organisms and semi-living organisms.  Living subjects should never be manipulated in any way that may be harmful or without an unknown consequence.  Tissue that is multiplying and being manipulated in a laboratory should be monitored and always kept in mind that the tissue is living, just as a plant is living.

            Scientists are limited with what they can do when testing animals to avoid issues with “animal rights.”  The restrictions should be the same with artists who experiment and create BioArt.  The morality is the same whether the organism is being used by a scientific or for artistic purposes.  Today, people have the ability to genetically modify plants and animals to achieve a desired trait.  For example, GMOs in fruits and vegetables change the phenotype of the food.  Organic foods are smaller, duller in color, and have imperfect shapes that may be unappealing to a consumer.  Genetic modification allows for a larger, more colorful, and perfectly shaped fruit or vegetable that is aesthetically attractive.  It is still unsure how these affect humans when eaten for a long period of time, causing controversy with GMO versus non-GMO products sold in grocery stores and restaurants.  Although this may be limiting human creativity, ethical concerns should be a factor in creating art of any medium.

"Weird Science: Biotechnology as Art Form." ARTnews. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 May 2015. <http://www.artnews.com/2013/03/18/biotechnology-as-art-form/>.

"Seed Magazineabout." This Is Your Brain on Food § SEEDMAGAZINE.COM. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 May 2015. <http://seedmagazine.com/content/article/this_is_your_brain_on_food/>.

"Animal Testing - the Facts." Animal Testing - the Facts. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 May 2015. <http://www.planet-science.com/categories/over-11s/technology/2011/09/animal-testing---the-facts.aspx>

"Bio Art." Bio Art. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 May 2015. <http://bioart.sva.edu/>.

"Bio Arts and Bio Engineering - BioArts.com." BioArtscom. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 May 2015. <http://www.bioarts.com/>.