Chapter 3

When Victor Frankenstein created his monster, he used an array of dead body parts to manipulate life and to play the role of God. Victor Frankenstein would surely be shocked to learn that manipulating genes and playing the role of God no longer need dead, festering body parts but a highly intricate system of experimentation during the embryonic stage.
Although Chapter 3 was more difficult to understand that the other chapters, it was the most intriguing. It got me asking whether or not we can use this technology to create/modify any kind of organism we want. By injecting Vitamin A at the right stages we can create a mirror reflection of limbs/body parts. Would this be beneficial? Does this mean that we can change our genetics and therefore our appearance?
There were several questions that I asked. For example: why Vitamin A? Does the ZPA only apply to limbs or can we apply it to other parts of the body to create a duplicate mirror reflection of any part of the anatomy? Then I realized that questions of creating a modified version of an existing organism is highly possible and inspires several science fiction movies and books. Using our imagination, and new discoveries in the science field makes humans feel as if they could now interfere mutations-good or bad. Science fiction toys with the idea of creating life and interferring with the development of life.
Relating back to the book, I thought that the discovery of the Sonic Hedgehog and ZPA only proved that everything in life is equal and symbiotic. Our hands are related to the shark's fin or the chicken's leg.
Shubin successfully caught my attention through this chapter. Not only was it informational, but it caused me think of all the possibilities of what science can do. Also it made me appreciate DNA because one cell of DNA creates a trillion other cells with different functions designed to work in coexistance.
Jennifer Kim