Goodrich d 177_final

Blog Compilation
Dylan Goodrich
703648427
Major: Biochemistry
Honors 177
Professor Vesna

Code and Carrier Safety
Wed, 05/23/2012 - 22:28 | dylanjgoodrich

For our project where we are using DNA to code for messages. The idea is to inject cells with
the DNA into a human who can then transport the message onward to others who will be able to
isolate and identify the code. This will allow for numerous layers of defense:

1. Existence of the code

The "enemy" would have to know of the existence of the code in order to try and decrypt it. This
new tactic we are using would likely remain secretive for a time simply because of the novelty of
this idea

2. Identifying people who have it

If the existence of the code becomes public then those trying to intercept the message will need
to identify if people actually have it. One countermeasure against this could be to "pretend" to
inject the DNA into people so that they think they may have the code even though they do not
have the coded message. This way it lowers the chance of people being able to accidentally or
purposefully give away the fact they are carrying the message because they may not actually
have it in the first place

3.Location on the body

Anatomically, the human body is rather large and complex. Figuring out where a small colony
of injected cells were put would be exceedingly difficult. Furthermore, similar to what was
mentioned in number 2, we could pretend to inject multiple places on the body. That way even
the carrier would not be sure as to the relative location of the actual code. If they do not know
even the relative location of the code then it makes it that much more difficult to find the cells.

4. Knowing the primer sequence

Spenser detailed the process of using primer sequences and PCR to isolate the code from the
DNA. Without the proper primer it would be exceedingly difficult to isolate the area of the
message on the DNA.

5. Cracking the code

Janet discussed the idea of creating a code based on the DNA sequence. Making this
complicated will further ensure the safety of the message, but this is likely the weakest form of
security since code cracking is doable as seen by Turing.

Those initial 5 layers of protection are an incredible way to help ensure the safety of the
message. Obviously there are flaws that could be exploited depending on human error or

betrayal, but I think this is an elegant system that would be difficult to crack once let alone
multiple times because of the various places within people that the code could be put

WIth this system there will need to be a number of precautions to help insure the safety of those
involved in transport

1. Limit of Cell Proliferation

The cells that are injected should be able to divide and grow in order to insure that the cells with
the message do not die while "in transit", however we cannot afford to have a code that will
cause the tumor to become uncontrollable and cancerous.

2. Death Prevention

The cells we inject will need to be very sensitive to loss of nutrients. This way if a carrier is
killed then the enemy cannot spend as long as they want trying to find the locatiion of the
cells. Also this will help as a precaution to stop the carriers from being killed in the first place,
because the interceptors will not want to lose the message. Also if the carriers are malnourished
or subjected to abuse the code may also be lost, hopefully preventing this from happening.

With these layers of safety from a code standpoint and biological standpoint, I feel that this new
way of encoding messages will be a safe and reliable way to send important information.

Week 7
Biotech+Art
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DMA177|Spring2012

Complaining Is Starting To Get Old
Tue, 05/15/2012 - 22:33 | dylanjgoodrich

Kathy Brew's exhibit on aging was an interesting experience. I took the Human Aging Cluster
my freshman year and in that class we learned about many of the psychological difficulties
associated with aging and ageism. This helps me understand where she was coming from and
how people feel about the ageing process.

Furthermore we explored the science behind aging and how it is related to telomeres located on
the ends of DNA strands meant to protect that coded genes near the ends. As cells replicate, then
the telomeres shorten and eventually the cells stop dividing. One particular disease called
Hutchinson Guilford Progeria Syndrome which accelerates ageing at an alarming rate and is
highly rare.

This is a picture of a young boy affected by progeria who is made to look much beyond his years
due to this debilitating disease that gives these children and average lifespan of only 13 years.

http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=5788144

Above is a link to a video done by ESPN to tell the story of a young boy named Josiah who
despite this disease tries to be active and play the game of baseball. Although it is from a sports
perspective, it highlights many of the struggles of aging and how it impacts your quality of
life. Please watch it. It is very inspiring.

I know many enjoy villifying society for being superficial and encouraging the use of anti-aging
products/cosmetic surgery, but I have no problem with this concept. Society is run by sex and
looks and that's how it always will be. We can sit around all mad and talking about how lame
society is or we can spend time doing the things we enjoy and minding our own business. One
of the central tenants of my Human Aging Class was how older adults should adapt to their aging
and making sure to find new ways to be happy and be productive despite the many ways their
life changes. This concept should really encompass our entire life course. Being mad is
easy. Being happy takes work. Society isn't 100% repsonsible for how each of us feels.

Of course I do not condone ageism in any way. If anything I find that older adults have a lot to
contribute to society. It is unfortunate that ageism exists. However, throughout the many topics,
I feel like many in this class focus on being mad at society. It isn't productive. Kathy Brew used
her disappointment about ageism to inspire her art and provide an avenue of expression and
commentary. Simply being angry accelerates the aging process. Maybe if we stopped being
mad at society we wouldn't need to use as many anti-aging products to appease society.

http://www.progeriaresearch.org/about_progeria.html

Week 6
Genetic Engineering+Transhumanism

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DMA177|Spring2012

Texture of Art and the Brain
Sun, 04/29/2012 - 20:58 | dylanjgoodrich

Noa Kaplan's presentation showed how interesting science can be at a microscopic level. As
humans we interact in our space with a macro perspective, often focusing on the implications or
symptoms of things rather than the core of the problem itself. We overlook the small because it
is irrelevant to most daily life activities. I enjoyed the different subjects that she pursued for her
pieces and I think it was illumnating to see how fascinating small things can look, despite being
largely unseen.

Upon internet research I found an example where the process Noa used was reversed; science
was used to elucidate the structure and texture of art:

http://www.newscientist.com/blogs/nstv/2010/11/medical-technology-sees-b...

In this video it explains how famous art can be seen on a microscopic level and analyzed to see
how the artist layered or structured his paintings. Art historians could speculate as to the purpose
or origins of work and artists themselves can learn more about the individual technique used to
procure the work. In this case, empirical microscopic evidence can be used to educate artists in
their craft. Interesting.

In this next video I came across it shows an exhibit that uses medical images of your brain
combined with motion sensor activity to be able to see your brain as you operate in the
exhibit. It shows both a 3d model and 2d medical image slices of your brain so you can see both
the inside and the outside of your brain at the same time. In this case the art isn’t portraying
microscopic structures, but it still is exhibiting fascinating parts of the unseen brain within you
that you take for granted as much as the tinier things in life.

http://youtube.googleapis.com/v/p9HPxrg4uTY?autoplay=1&rel=0&enablejsapi=1&playerapiid
=ytplayer

Week 4
Medical Technologies+Art
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DMA177|Spring2012

The Fear Virus

I had never been particularly fond of animals until I got my new dog Reginald a few summers
ago. My friendship with him made me realize that I seem to treat animals similarly to humans; if
I am around them and we develop a friendship then I will care for them and spend time with
them like any one else. Other animals are strangers. So I have no more or less emotional
investment into their wellbeing than if they were a random person on the street. I suppose that
me being a human does make me biased and so I likely have a greater capacity to care and
empathize than I do with animals. In this way I am saying that my relationship with animals is
based on the same relationship paradigm that I have with other people, but does not equal in
extent.

If anyone hasn't seen the story of Christian the Lion, I suggest you check it out. Really
wonderful story.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aOLqVshIM4w

Now for the important part (ironically about humans)

The saddest part for me about watching Strange Culture was that I am not surprised that this
happened. It further corroborated the notion that there is a bigger estrangement between science
and politics/justice than there is between science and art (the subject of our course). The actions
of the government in this scenario show how the fear of science and the ambitiousness of people
can create a craze that is easily exploitable. Luckily, in the end the justice system got it
right. But that doesn't absolve the actions of the prosecutors and FBI that illegally did things to
try and convict Steve Kurtz while using MILLIONS of tax payer dollars to do so.

The underlying notion driving all of this and continues to do so is fear. Most people don't
understand science (and furthermore don't want to) so the idea of genetic testing and
modifications sounds like one stop away from world domination. WIth this in mind I wanted to
try and analyze what ways history and pop culture have exascerbated this fear.

Movies/Books:

Although only a select few, the above movies/books center around a plot where genetic
engineering resulted in catastropic events to occur. In I Am Legend and 28 Days Later there is a
human made virus that ends up becoming a severe pandemic that wipes out almost the entire
population on earth, but only after turning them into zombie-like figures that no longer have any
control over their actions. This sort of plot device has become common in pop culture because it
depicts possibly the most dramatic thing that could happen if genetic engineering goes
wrong. We especially fear it because genetics at a molecular level cannot be seen and so takes a
"magic" type of quality to it. These movies entertain us because they capitalize on this notion
which provokes strong feelings within us. Furthermore, it could be argued that these movies
create a greater fear in some of the population. This fear causes people to disregard all possible

benefits from genetic research, condemning it for how it is portrayed rather than how it is
actually occurring in laboratories or in industry. Sure, there may be unknown side effects to
some genetic research, but then again every single pill you have taken has lists of side effects and
you take pills anyway because you know it is in your best interest. It is in humanity's best
interest to continue genetic research much like it is in Hollywoods best interest to continue
making these sorts of movies. Science is predicated on knowledge and empirical evidence and
art is predicated on emotion and entertainment. The best way Hollywood can practice its art
while involving science is by exploiting the things that provoke the most emotion within us. I do
not at all condemn them for it, I just find it interesting how the relationship between science and
media tends towards the negative aspects.

http://i2.listal.com/image/1173907/936full-28-days-later...-poster.jpg

http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Jurassic-Park-logo.jpg

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Bb4G5HwBrpw/TwtbUFb_YDI/AAAAAAAABSs/4SjAdVbvJ8...

Week 3
Genetic Engineering+Animals
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DMA177|Spring2012

Goats with Super Powers
Sun, 04/15/2012 - 22:09 | dylanjgoodrich

I have always been a fan of genetically modified organisms. I have heard of the ethical issues
and their possible negative effects but that still doesn't deter me from supporting the pursuit of
experimentation at the genetic level. In the past I had heard of genetically modified goats being
used to produce new things within their milk and for this assignment I decided to delve further
into that one interesting discovery channel show that I half paid attention to.

I think the problem with GMOs comes from the potential harm of putting byproducts into our
bodies. Dr. Mercola of Mercola.com, the apparent #1 natural health website, takes this stance
among many others. In his article concerning genetically engineered goats that produce the
malaria vaccine within their milk, he emphasizes the negatives and decries the practice despite
the fact that genetically engineered drugs must be approved by the FDA just like any other
drug. What drug doesn't have side effects? Is trying to mass produce malaria vaccine to help
people in third world countries really such a BAD idea just because it MIGHT leak into our food
supply which MAY cause issues? Pardon me for supporting scientific progress moreso than
propaganda. However, this coincides with many attempts at creating GMOs. People do not
want to risk putting something harmful into their bodies. This is understandable to a degree, but
I dont think that research into this area should be stopped just because it scares a few

people. This controversy makes me think we should explore creating GMOs that produce things
that we aren't meant to consume.

Genetic engineering has allowed scientists to cross DNA of silk producing spiders into goats,
causing the goats to be able to produce the silk in their milk but at a much higher input. The
spider silk is stronger than kevlar and can be used for a variety of functions. In this case the
genetic engineering provides a material good rather than a controversial consumable product. It's
hard to predict how people would detract from this other than the fear of genetic experimenting
itself.

In summary, I believe that GMOs are a worthwhile area of study because of the numerous
possibilities. Nearly every action we do in science and production has some negative effects to
nature and others so I do not think that is a worthwhile argument within the context that they are
being highly regulated by the FDA. People aren't used to the idea of genetic testing and
modification, but then again people weren't used to a lot of things before they eventually became
common practice. Perhaps exploring further into the areas regarding making products like strong
spider silk and other more material-like goods would get people used to the idea of genetically
produced materials. Why don't we portray the goats as super powered animals rather than
deformed and natural? Everyone likes super heroes

Sources

<http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/03/20/geneticall...

<www.guardian.co.uk/science/2012/jan/14/synthetic-biology-spider-goat-
gen...">http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2012/jan/14/synthetic-biology-spider-g...

Week 2
Genetic Engineering+Animals
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DMA177|Spring2012

The Zeroth Culture: Human Nature

Hello, my name is Dylan Goodrich. Welcome to my first blog post. I am a fourth year
Biochemistry major and I plan on attending medical school in the near future. What interests me
about this course is to see the kind of things I have been studying from a different perspective;
being a scholar of physical sciences makes it difficult to consider how those in the arts and
humanities view science and how it could possibly relate to their studies. This discussion of
"two cultures" with a third culture becoming more prominent is interesting, however I see it as
evolution more so than a revolution in thought.

It is human nature to be competitive, in fact competition (from an evolution standpoint not
necessarily an economic standpoint) is the purest medium of change and advancement. For this
reason we are often compelled to label ourselves and gather amongst our peers because the most
basic form of strength is larger numbers. In order to have the largest groups of people
congregating to fight head to head (while there still being an actual competition) there needs to
only be two distinct sides.

At our institution people often point out the so called "divide" between north campus and south
campus, but I believe it to be a social construct conjured from ourselves in spirit of this
competitive nature. I wouldn't call our campus divdided, I would call it compartmentalized. It
makes perfect sense to have most of the scientific buildings near eachother to allow for adequate
collaboration and also because of logistical concerns for students. Isn't it easier to drop off
barrels in chemicals all in the same place so that they may be distributed to the necessary
buildings? Bruinwalk is the main vein of campus and cuts almost exactly between the so called
"divide" between the north and south sides of campus. It's a 15 foot wide section of concrete
folks, not the Berlin Wall.

We see this in politics as well. Also in the case of sports because many of us hate USC sports
JUST BECAUSE we are supposed to. I don't hate USC football. I actually prefer to watch them
play football because they are always so much better than we are. Blame it on the somewhat
present artist within me-I like watching good looking football. Sorry I got off the main topic, but
I felt this was a good example to present.

In the case of our discussions, the divide between science and humanities has inevitably become
less and less distinct because of developing knowledge and circumstance. In earlier times,
humanity took legends and myths and stories to be TRUTH without question because there was
no way to know otherwise. In these times the divide between science and humanities was
pehaps at its greatest because science not only had to discover new things but present them in
defiance of traditional beliefs. Time wore on and now we are in an age where art and humanities
have come to accept not only the validity, but also the significance of the natural sciences. If
anything I think I more often see north campus majors using laptops in class than south campus
ones. In the past the written word could have nearly been deemed sacred, yet here we are
learning to collaborate and nearly (not really) eliminate it altogether.

The Zeroth culture, which I have dubbed to refer to human nature itself, is the overriding
"culture" that encompasses all three of the cultures that we have discussed. In the zeroth culture
we are all infinitely united and divided by the concepts of humanity and personhood
respectively, leaving all else to be derived from this base. Pursuit of scientific knowledge and
artistic expressions have all come from the same source- us. So it makes sense that in the infinite
pursuit of truth and meaning we must bring science and art (the two cultures) closer and closer
together until we enlighten oursevles completely. in this manner I do not see it so much as
bridges between cultures like Professor Vesna discussed in her article "Toward a third culture:
Being in between," I see it like a venn diagram with the two bubbles slowly converging into fully
overlapping bubble that will never be able to achieved due to the intricacies of the zeroth
culture. Rather than the bridge between the two being "delicate", I see it as being narrow;
therefore it is currently more difficult for the exchange and collaboration of separate (but not
mutually exclusive like many of us think) ideas. In this class I am excited to see how the bridge
is beginning to widen and see how the possible realms of truth and expression can create a world
greater than the sum of its current parts. There is no division, but a continuum which we can
continue to explore.

Week 2
Two Cultures
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DMA177|Spring2012

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