My group for the CYCLE 1: AVATAR PROJECT decided to take a few days apart after receiving the brief to do our own research into various concepts of what an avatar, alter ego, or accomplice, could be.
I broke mine down into three solid subjects to discuss with them when we meet up again on Monday.
The second, Organ Donors.
ORGAN DONORS & SELF: IS WHAT’S INSIDE US “US” ?
This might be a bit of a stretch but somehow in my research I landed here.
Perhaps it’s because of watching Gattica again, which questions self down to the very core of our dna, our blood, our fingerprints, our organs.
This is an NPR Radio Program and Podcast called Radiolab. When looking into organ donation (because of the aforementioned viewing of the film) I came upon this episode. I felt I vaguely recalled a friend telling me about it once, so I gave it a listen.
As the descriptor to the right confirms, it deals with the aftermath of life, and what happens to the actual tissues if they have been donated. It follows the story of a mother discovering where the death of her child led in scientific research.
I found this relative to the research surrounding Avatars, alter egos, and accomplices, because it deals with questioning the very nature of which parts of our bodily selves are ourselves, and when do they become someone else?
Are the cells of a loved one, kept alive in a lab, still representative of that loved one?
If someone has received a heart transplant, is it now their heart, or does that “deceased” person now live again, within them?
After listening through, (and crying), I had to look up another episode I recalled from long ago: The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.
Perhaps it’s because of watching Gattica again, which questions self down to the very core of our dna, our blood, our fingerprints, our organs.
This is an NPR Radio Program and Podcast called Radiolab. When looking into organ donation (because of the aforementioned viewing of the film) I came upon this episode. I felt I vaguely recalled a friend telling me about it once, so I gave it a listen.
As the descriptor to the right confirms, it deals with the aftermath of life, and what happens to the actual tissues if they have been donated. It follows the story of a mother discovering where the death of her child led in scientific research.
I found this relative to the research surrounding Avatars, alter egos, and accomplices, because it deals with questioning the very nature of which parts of our bodily selves are ourselves, and when do they become someone else?
Are the cells of a loved one, kept alive in a lab, still representative of that loved one?
If someone has received a heart transplant, is it now their heart, or does that “deceased” person now live again, within them?
After listening through, (and crying), I had to look up another episode I recalled from long ago: The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.
From Radiolab.org:
Where do you find comfort after the death of a child? In this episode, we follow one couple as they discover a sense of purpose in an unlikely place: a clinical world where human parts are used for research. In this surprising journey, Ross and Sarah Gray gain a view of science that is redemptive, fussy facts that are tender, and parts of a loved one that add up to something unexpected.
Then, we get a glimpse at a technology on the cusp of radically changing how we think about the effect of scientific advancements on humanity. Hidden inside some of the world’s smallest organisms is one of the most powerful tools scientists have ever stumbled across. It's a defense system that has existed in bacteria for millions of years and it may some day let us change the course of human evolution.
Where do you find comfort after the death of a child? In this episode, we follow one couple as they discover a sense of purpose in an unlikely place: a clinical world where human parts are used for research. In this surprising journey, Ross and Sarah Gray gain a view of science that is redemptive, fussy facts that are tender, and parts of a loved one that add up to something unexpected.
Then, we get a glimpse at a technology on the cusp of radically changing how we think about the effect of scientific advancements on humanity. Hidden inside some of the world’s smallest organisms is one of the most powerful tools scientists have ever stumbled across. It's a defense system that has existed in bacteria for millions of years and it may some day let us change the course of human evolution.
This focuses on a story now somewhat familar to many people, but still largely lost in the annals of medical history.
It’s actually part of a larger episode called Famous Tumors. What a topic.
To summarize as briefly as possible:
Henrietta Lacks died of cervical cancer in 1951. Without her, or her family’s permission or knowledge, cells were harvested from her that went on to be the key to unlocking everything from polio vaccines to chemotherapy drugs. Essentially, the discovery of her unique cells changed modern medicine.
To this day, her cells are still alive, and responsible for saving the lives of millions. Colloquially in the medical field they are called “HeLa cells.” HeLa: Henrietta Lacks.
Henrietta’s story asks about what bodily autonomy is, even posthumously. What do we, and our loved ones have a right to once a body is no longer considered alive?
And in the context of Alter Egos, Accompolices, and Avatars... I wonder, where does Henrietta fall?
Perhaps she is an unwitting accomplice.
Her story is a remarkable one, and worthy of the attention it’s only now beginning to receive in modern times.
It’s actually part of a larger episode called Famous Tumors. What a topic.
To summarize as briefly as possible:
Henrietta Lacks died of cervical cancer in 1951. Without her, or her family’s permission or knowledge, cells were harvested from her that went on to be the key to unlocking everything from polio vaccines to chemotherapy drugs. Essentially, the discovery of her unique cells changed modern medicine.
To this day, her cells are still alive, and responsible for saving the lives of millions. Colloquially in the medical field they are called “HeLa cells.” HeLa: Henrietta Lacks.
Again this episode calls into question the nature of what belongs to “us.”
Henrietta’s story asks about what bodily autonomy is, even posthumously. What do we, and our loved ones have a right to once a body is no longer considered alive?
And in the context of Alter Egos, Accompolices, and Avatars... I wonder, where does Henrietta fall?
Perhaps she is an unwitting accomplice.
Her story is a remarkable one, and worthy of the attention it’s only now beginning to receive in modern times.