I stumbled across this article earlier today with the title “Scientists Seek Moratorium on Edits to Human Genome That Could Be Inherited.” The title immediately attracted my interest. The general idea behind the article is that scientists are meeting and discussing the ethics on altering genetic material that could potentially be passed on in the gene pool. Genes that could be altered include disease causing genes but also physical genes that could fall under the category that would create “designer babies.” The main concern seems to be that alteration of these genes could change the gene pool dramatically over the next few generations.

I personally am not a fan of gene alteration. I understand the hope to select for certain genes to help prevent disease, but my main concern with gene alteration is the notion that people are trying to “play god.” With modern medicine, we have more or less stopped evolution within our own species and while these changes may be a new way for our species to evolve, the idea of selecting for genes that have evolved over millions of years is daunting to me and there is no real way for us to tell what the effect of this will be. I think this is just another example of humans interfering with nature and natural process.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/04/science/crispr-cas9-human-genome-editing-moratorium.html?action=click&contentCollection=science&region=rank&module=package&version=highlights&contentPlacement=8&pgtype=sectionfront&_r=0

The biology class that I am in talked about “The Cove” earlier this semester after reading a scholarly article* about genetic analysis of whale meat sole in Japan. In 1982 an indefinite moratorium was placed on commercial whale hunting. There are exceptions to the moratorium, such as hunting by indigenous people and hunting whales for research. The study we read analyzed whale meat, sold under the umbrella term “kujira”, that was found in grocery stores. While many of the samples of kujira were matched to whales that if they were being hunted now would be illegal, some of the meat was actually identified as dolphin meat. This is where “The Cove” came into discussion, as we shall see in class today. While the Japanese people happily eat whale meat as part of their culture, eating dolphin meat is unthinkable, like how Americans would not want to eat dog meat. I’m a little nervous about watching the film because the trailer that we watched in my biology class was disturbing enough, but I think the issue it addresses is important.

*Baker C.S., S.R. Palumbi. (1994). Which whales are hunted? A molecular genetic approach to monitoring whales. Science 265: 1538-1539.

This was definitely a very different film than I am used to seeing. The part that stood out to me the most was the musical score. Even as I am writing this, I have the lyrics, deep and slow of “Koyaanisqatsi” echoing through my head. The score certainly added a lot to the film. Images within the film without the soundtrack would have had a very different effect and probably would not portray the message as effectively. As a whole, I was not the biggest fan of the film. I have a short attention span and changing images and music was not enough to keep me engaged throughout the entire hour and a half. I can definitely see why this film has a cult-like following but at  this point I cannot count myself among those people.

First, I think the message of the film is very clearly stated by the title, Koyaanisqatsi, translating to “life out of balance.” The film maker did a very effective job of juxtaposing incredibly scenic and impressive landscape shots with daily scenes within human life. I think the landscapes which showed vast landscapes really contrasted with the shots of human activity which typically showed either lots of quick, repetitive motion or tightly compacted areas. One comparison that really stuck out to me was the factory line producing hot dogs, which then shortly after cut to people filing up escalators. While it is not explicitly said, which is part of the beauty of this piece, the two are being compared the similarities, while laughable, are remarkably the same.

I think a major part of this film is the feeling you get while watching it. Even though I did not  particularly care for this film, the combination of music and images constantly put me on edge and feel a little bit anxious. When paired with the translation of the title, the film really brings to life the idea of humans acting out of balance with nature and the continuation of these actions may lead to disaster, a point that was really emphasized for me with one of the final scenes of the exploding rocket.

I recently listened to a podcast (RadioLab) that discussed the mystery of one of our human ancestors. A skull found in South Africa in the 1920s has a remarkable resemblance to humans, in that it has a relatively flat face and a hole at the base of the skull, suggesting it stood upright. The skull was very small and the reason we know it was not human is the brain cavity is too small. What I found to be fascinating about this piece is that it narrated the journey of finding what killed this specific creature. Ultimately, scientists recognized that it was most like a large bird of prey that killed the specimen (which was about the size of a chimpanzee). I find it to be so interesting how we view humans as being at the top of the food chain, the scariest predators out there, but not so long ago, our ancestors were hunted by birds. It’s a concept I never considered, sure it would make sense to be scared of a lion or bear should I stumble across it in the wild, but a large bird? It puts a whole new feeling to the eeriness that accompanies the a swooping shadow from above.

***Disclaimer: The first half of this response paper may be unfulfilled because I was unable to attend Hawk Mountain myself.

Although I was not able to see the Hawk Mountain Visitor Store in person, I did visit their online website (https://www.hawkmountain.org/store/categories.asp ). It appears as though the main products in the store and those that information and education based. The books on sale all have conservation themes and give information on raptors and their importance. There are also accessories that are branded with “Hawk Mountain Sanctuary” which is an important form of advertisement for the sanctuary (I assume it is non-profit and survives on donations). Even these accessories are quaint and subtle, which markets to the stereotypical visitor of a place like this, the younger and older generations who are looking to see an incredible part of nature. To the HMS, nature appears to be something majestic, that’s needs to be coveted and protect but can also be admired from a distance and without disruption.

Rachel Carson was an important voice in bringing the subject of DDT and its effect on wildlife, especially birds, to life. Her work helped eventually ban the spraying of DDT. Hawk Mountain is now a sanctuary because it serves as a passage for migrating birds. As DDT lowered the reproduction rate of birds, less birds of prey were seen migrating through Hawk Mountain which was yet another sign that negative effects were happening because of the spraying of the chemicals.

Since I was not was Hawk Mountain, I cannot attest to the interactions between the people who were there. However, I have been to several wildlife sanctuaries in my life around the Boston area and I can speak some to that. I was often dragged along on these trips when I was younger, my mother being a bird enthusiast. For many locations, the story was the same: the older volunteers who would kindly greet us and overload us with the amazing information about the sanctuary before sending us on our way. Most of the people who I remember visiting these places tended to either be of the retired generation or parents with kids who were among my age. I never remembered seeing the middle generation, and if I did stumble across them, it was either a romantic couple or more of the “crunchy” type people. No matter the age, I do remember people being incredibly friendly and often pointing us in the direction of something fantastic they had seen, always so willing to share the nature with us.

Raptors have an interesting dynamic with the human population. Many years ago, they were often demonized as vermin or rodents of the air, and were quickly shot upon sight. Now, they are much more revered as regal and majestic beasts. Birds of prey are important indicators of the health of an ecosystem because they are typically the top of the food chain. At the top of the food chain, it is difficult to survive if one part of the chain is missing or unhealthy, as it upwardly affects the rest of the chain.

Now visiting Cabela’s was a very interesting experience. I had heard the class discuss their visit, and I had read many of the posts on the subject matter. However, even with that preparation, I was still overwhelmed when I stepped in to the store. Upon entering the store, I was immediately met with a plethora of taxidermy, both at eye level and poised above me on shelves. Not only was there an overwhelming number of carcasses in the store, it was the shear amount of stuff that assaulted my eyes. As I adjusted, my sister and I began exploring the store. We immediately headed to the mountain at the back of the store. As we walked back there, I noticed the clearly gendered clothing, normal camouflage and neon orange, and then the pink versions for the women. As I toured through the store, I noticed that while the pink camou was not in excess, it was definitely an option for most every item of clothing, even for camping chairs. I was surprised by the brands. Most items were Cabela’s brand, but Under Armour also had a significant chunk of brand name items throughout the store.

My impression of the mountain was neutral; I have seen my fair share of taxidermy and it doesn’t bother me, however it was more of the quantity of taxidermy in such a small space that set me on edge. However, I did not notice any plaques noting the hunter who shot the animal or any other information other than American name of the animal, which I thought was interesting.

Next, we ventured over the gun section. Neither my sister nor I had ever actually seen a gun in person, so it was unnerving to literally see walls covered in them. From guns we moved to knives to crossbows – I had never seen a crossbow before and was shocked by how common they seemed. Even more unnerving was the young boy who was running up and down the aisles with a small crossbow that his father was buying for him. My sister and I took a quiz on “what safe should we buy” for our guns. Some of the questions included “how long does it take for your fire department to respond?” (to determine how heat tolerant it should be) and what cost would we be willing to pay? (an option was $10,000+). It was a very odd concept to the both of us that there should be a need to a safe of those sizes and costs.

We visited Cabela’s on Wednesday, the day before Thanksgiving and before Black Friday. It was pretty empty of shoppers, and I definitely felt that I stood out from the few clients, wearing my sorority sweatshirt. It was funny to see the marketing of products for Christmas, a very ironic juxtaposition I thought. Upon leaving the store, my sister and I quickly headed to the Pet Smart just a few stores over to see some living animals to help cleanse ourselves.

As I was driving back to Laf after a too-short Thanksgiving break, I saw a shocking scene. Driving through Connecticut, a bird of prey swooped down across the highway, into the traffic, hit a car and then flew off and tumbled to the side of the road. I was horrified by what I saw. I was all the way in the left lane and immediately thought to pull off the side of the road to try to save the bird in some way. However, by the time I would have been able to get through the cars, the bird would be very far behind me. As I drove on, I was overcome with an intense sense of guilt. I wish I had been able to stop, but what would I have been able to do? Try to usher it further from the road if it wasn’t already dead? I certainly wouldn’t have tried to pick it up. Although the bird had not flown into my car, I still felt a large sense of responsibility for the life and wellbeing of the creature. After that experience, I can only hope I never hit an animal because I am sure I will be mortified by the experience.

“‘I see nothing but road’ Brad replies. Then Brad jumps in the bay and swims three miles to Lonesome Point and back. Says Brown Dog, ‘I didn’t bother asking him if he had seen any fish'” (205). 

I think this is a very common mentality of many Americans, where it becomes less about the journey but more of a focus of achieving a goal, and perhaps some sense of satisfaction by doing so. We lose something by the inability to slow down and just enjoy what is around us.

“Eating crow (boiled), like humble pie of animal innards, may have been distasteful, but eating small birds was a treat, and commonplace” (224).

I find this notion very obvious and quite laughable. I would be horrified to eat a crow or a robin per se, because it is not in the norm of our culture. However, buying packaged meat from the store, such as hamburger, can contain the DNA of over 100 different animals. That fact is so much more repulsive to me and yet this is the daily accepted practice of most Americans on the East Coast.

“Still, feeding wild birds is a form or nature management, although a lot of people who do it do not recognize their hobby as a form of nature manipulation” (237).

I certainly never realized this fact until Sterba so clearly stated it in this sentence. By feeding birds, even though it has low negative consequences, we are still manipulating nature for our own enjoyment and in a way that is unnatural.