By Dale Joseph Dino (Phagemids)
From reel to real,
we have seen on the big screen our mutant
friends possessing the so-called X-mutations fighting for their existence. Recently, we have also came across this
girl named Lucy who was able to harness 100% brain capacity, thus enabling her
to turn herself into a supercomputer after accidentally ingesting a
hypothetical potent substance called CPH4.. Popular culture has been
constantly mixing itself with science; giving birth to the world of science
fiction. Starting from George Mieles’ A Trip to
the Moon in 1902, various story plots have emerged from creative minds,
allowing us previews of the futuristic horizon; from lightsaber duels of Star Wars to the genetic
laboratory horrors of the Jurassic Park franchise, science fiction has
transcended far from man’s earthly perceptions.
Popular culture, widely known as Pop culture or simply “pop”, humbly started as a movement in the 1950’s where anything that is appealing to the majority of the population or “mainstream” is adapted by the society. Pop culture has greatly influenced the thinking and way of living of the people in a particular part of time. This movement is present in every corner of the society from the music we listen to, clothes we wear, the jargons we use in our conversations and other common denominators that make a “buzz”. Needless to say, this would also cover movies that we love to share and talk about in social media sites through memes.
One
arm of pop culture that has been a favorite since expeditions in the moon
started is known as science fiction, or Sci-fis.
Popular examples of sci-fi movies
are E.T., Artificial Intelligence, and Men in Black. Traveling back in history
when Mendel’s still growing his pea plants, science fiction is merely known.
Maybe except for magic tricks and some form of sorcery or black magic, most
people believe in an empirical point of view which requires evidence to be
presented in order to prove the existence of something. It was really believed
that science is a straightforward discipline. Apparently, philosophy had lived
long enough to live by the question “how?” and “what if?”
X-men Franchise. Photo: cinemablend.com |
One
of the most controversial topics about Genetics is mutation – a very familiar theme of Marvel movies.
From our friendly neighbor Spiderman, who gained his powers by simply being
bitten by a genetically-modified spider, to our mutant X-men friends that have
unique abilities and strives for their existence in the presumed “normal”
world. In truth, however, these mutations may be of these three: mutation that has a tiny
negligible effect, a detrimental mutation, or a mutation with no effect at all. This all depends to where the DNA mutation
took effect – whether or not this mutation changes the structure or function of
a protein that a specific gene or set of gene codes for. Researchers have used
radiation to study mutation in simpler organisms such as flies. However, unlike
what X-men propose to us that there is a “mutagenic hormonal extract” that is
capable of transforming into a different creature or obtain superhuman powers,
well apparently, there is no such thing as of today.
Gattaca movie poster. Photo: splice-bio.com |
Blood
stains, semen samples, and some spray and there goes your fingerprint.
Detective shows have also been using science in order to convict someone for a
crime. What’s peculiar with this is that your samples will just be placed in a
machine, run some lights and then the machine goes and magically prints an
arrest warrant for the perfect suspect. Even
in the fast pace of technology, these snap-of-a-hand
results are not impossible. The theory in these detective shows lies on genetic
variation – variation in the genetic component of each individual. Even twins
would have different marks known as epigenetic marks which would help
distinguish them in the molecular level. Detective shows are really in such a
hurry that they have results whenever they want it in a one-hour period of the
show, because in reality, there are many steps depending on the technique to be
used by the scientist who may take days, weeks, or even years. Also, DNA
fingerprinting is used to exclude a suspect, not to pinpoint a suspect with
100% probability.
Brave New World movie poster. Photo: wikimedia.org |
Pop
culture has been feeding us with so much imaginative works but it is just
amazing that while precision and accuracy best describes science as a
discipline, its description in a work of fiction is inconsequential. It is also
interesting how each one of us maintains our willingness for suspension of
disbelief just to feel a utopian and dystopian world. Science fiction has gone
a long way and now it’s racing together with technological advancements.
Genetics have been a favorite topic in scifis and modern geneticist are making
progress at such a staggering speed that some of the classic science fiction
scenarios are becoming plausible with current technology. Who knows that maybe
in the near future you can just pop your bone out of your hand just like Logan,
or be the most powerful psychic like Marvel Girl, or best known as Jean Grey?
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