Neuroscience + Art: week 7

Neuroscience and Art has a very intriguing relationship. In this weeks lecture, Professor Vesna spoke about FMRI Butterfly, Sea Sponges, and the Brainbow that are amazing discoveries that stayed with me after watching lecture.

Suzanne Anker, a visual artist and theorist initiated the Neurocultrue Project FMRI Butterfly which is where she took 15 images of brain scans and placed identical butterflies on each of them, but each of the photos look different which I found fascinating.

Sea Sponges among scientists are known as the "simplest forms of life" (Thomas), but it has been discovered that they share an amazing amount 70 percent of their genes with humans! Typically genes associated with diseases and cancer. This could help scientists have major breakthroughs with cancer and stem cell research. Today, there is even talk that a molecule from a sea sponge may be able to give us a solution against the fight against Leukemia and various cancers. The scientists have honed in on one molecule, cancer cells grow in a similar way that stem cells do because they don't have a solidified identity with the body. The molecule from the sea sponge helps remind the cancer cell to return to its original state in the body, therefore halting and erasing the cancer as it progresses.

I find it amazing that we have the technology and power to find solutions like this for families people that are dealing with cancer. This gives me a lot of hope for the future that soon we will have the technology to eliminate it and many other diseases with stem cell research. 

Vesna, Victoria. "Lecture II." Neuroscience +Art. 15 May 2016. Lecture.

 Anker, Suzanne. "‘Science, Art and Bio-Art': Harvard Lecture by SVA’s Suzanne Anker." SVA Close Up. SVA, 12 Dec. 2012. Web. 16 May 2016.

 Poppy, Carrie. "Sponges May Be A Secret Weapon Against Leukemia." Tech Times RSS. Medical Xpress, 28 Sept. 2015. Web. 16 May 2016. 

 Thomas, Brian. "Are Sea Sponges Mostly Human?" The Institute for Creation Research. ICR, 16 Aug. 2010. Web. 16 May 2016.

 Vesna, Victoria. "Lectrue 1." Neuroscience + Art. 15 Mar. 2016. Lecture.