Sculptures from discarded DNA

[big_dav_2001]

Found another interesting article.

It seems a US artist is using DNA extracted from discarded gum and cigarette butts to create 3D printed busts of what the litterbugs may have looked like.

Pretty interesting stuff, I had no idea that kind of genetic decoding technology was readily available... :shrug:

Could also raise some ethics questions about the unauthorized use of someone's DNA for profit...

Link here (http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/artscience/2013/05/creepy-or-cool-portraits-derived-from-the-dna-in-hair-and-gum-found-in-public-places/)

Davin

[PeterM]

Wow, just amazing stuff.

And this, from the same site.. Duct tape over your mouth, ok not as impressive as Davins link, but some interesting stuff at this site.
http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/smartnews/2012/10/if-youre-trapped-with-duct-tape-over-your-mouth-heres-how-to-get-it-off/

[multiweb]

Freaky. Reconstruction from a menthol butt....:P

[Ric]

Wow, that's both amazing and a bit scary.

[deanm]

An interesting idea - but not supported in reality!

I'm a DNA scientist (& previously a forensic scientist) and can state quite firmly that, while genes are largely responsible for physical appearance, our current understanding of how they do so is vanishingly small.

From a DNA sample, we can predict gender, eye & hair colour, and likely ethnic background, but we cannot 'reconstruct' or predict a person's physical appearance.

We believe height alone is determined by the interaction of more than 100 genes, each individually of minor effect, but we are very poor at predicting someone's height - environment & upbrining play a major role.

Also, a DNA sample provides no indication as to whether the person who is the source of the DNA was 1 or 100 years of age.

Dean