C.A. Hartman's Blog, page 4
November 9, 2014
Film Analysis: Christopher Nolan’s “Interstellar”
Interstellar is one of those films where the trailer told you little, if anything at all, about the film. It didn’t need to: merely having the Nolan name (both brothers) was enough. And, as I’ve said before, good films don’t have to show much in their trailers because reputation (and, subsequently, word of mouth) does the work instead.
Interstellar is true science fiction. While many films fall generally into the science fiction/fantasy (SFF) genre, your average SFF flick isn’t usually true sci-fi. The plethora of superhero films certainly fall under the fantasy category, as does the entire Star Wars series. While I don’t quibble that much about how to define science fiction and recognize that many sub-genres of sci-fi exist, most people would say that science fiction examines (or speculates) on scientific or technological issues in society and how changing them could impact the human race. And Interstellar does this well.
[This article has minor spoilers, but not to the usual degree of my analyses]
Synopsis: The film is set in the very near future, when Earth’s food supplies are dwindling due to environmental problems and a blight that is wiping out crops to the point where corn seems to be the only survivor. To feed humanity, farmers have become key players in this world, and Matthew McConaughey’s character Cooper is an astronaut turned farmer. Through a series of highly improbable events possibly due to an intelligent alien species, Cooper is led to a secret NASA facility where he is asked to make a huge sacrifice… leave his family and fly NASA’s ship to follow up on eight pioneers who traveled to eight different, possibly habitable planets. These scientists have spent years collecting data and it’s time to follow up on it, pick the best of the lot, and then attempt to take what’s left of the human race to settle there.
Complexity: Nolan isn’t known for his simple scripts or ideas. While Interstellar shares similarity to Gravity, it’s far more complex than Gravity was… yet despite the plot involving complex physics concepts (relativity, time dilation, gravity, multiple dimensions), occasionally confusing sci-fi mainstays (wormholes, black holes, time travel), and even a more cosmic or spiritual aspect, Interstellar remained easy to understand. Of course, that disappointed me a little… I admit that during the first half of the film I kept thinking, “This is cool but it’s not Inception.” Inception‘s opacity and multi-layeredness was its genius. Of course, it’s tied for the position of my favorite sci-fi film of all time (along with Blade Runner). Yet Interstellar is complex enough to be interesting.
Getting cosmic: When I watched the commented version of Groundhog Day, Harold Ramis said he received tons of letters from a wide variety of religious groups who believed he was referencing their particular belief system. Barbara DeAngelis, who writes on relationships and spirituality, mentioned once that Groundhog Day is a very cosmic film. And it is. While Interstellar isn’t as cosmic, it did have spiritual themes that were intriguing. When they had to choose between going to Planet X with good data and Planet Y with somewhat less good data, Dr. Brand (Anne Hathaway) makes a strong cosmic claim for Y. The man she loves is there and, even beyond that, she feels a strong pull toward Planet Y. They override her request, but later we find out that her gut feeling was correct. Similarly, the strong bond between Cooper and Murph (his daughter) provides the key to the film’s conclusion, in its own multi-dimensional, circular, cosmic way.
Most people, especially scientists, would conclude that such ideas are hogwash. Data is king, especially in science. Yet, humans (and other living things) are interconnected in ways that traditional empiricism cannot grasp, and the ideas the Nolans put forth here are not so farfetched. Birds and fish can change direction on a dime, all simultaneously. There are studies of dogs going to sit by the door when their owner decides to make the journey back home, even if the time lag is varying and unpredictable for the animal. A study examined two friends meditating in separate rooms; when a stimulus affected the wave patterns of one friend, it affected the wave patterns of the other as well, despite the other not having been exposed to the stimulus. Such phenomena happens at a level most of us aren’t aware of… but something physics can possibly explain.
The science fiction. Good science fiction often asks, “What if?” What if we needed to leave Earth and find a new home? How would we scout out new potential planets that lie within the habitable zones of other star systems? Who would we send there to do recon? How would you get the data back, considering how far away they are and that it took them 2 years to even get to the wormhole? How would you keep the human race alive during all of this, and how, if you found a suitable planet, would you get people there? And if you couldn’t get them there, how else would you start a new population on the new planet, one that had adequate genetic diversity to survive? Interstellar offers interesting answers.
Relationships. Nolan’s films often have interesting and complex relationships in them, something that’s often lacking in science fiction (particularly in sci-fi books). The entire plot of Inception was heavily reliant upon the difficult relationship between Cobb and Mal, and Cobb’s relationship with himself regarding Mal… as was the plot of Memento. Interstellar has no romance or sex, yet the dual father-daughter relationships are an important theme in the film and even the thing that makes the plot work. Extra points to Nolan for having interesting female characters in his films, too.
Visuals. Gravity wins on this front. But Interstellar has such strong performances and story that it doesn’t need to rely on visuals. There are some very cool shots of their vessels traveling in space, a tiny thing in a the vast vacuum of space, passing by some planet or phenomenon, showing us just how infinitely small we are when we think in interstellar terms. The scenes filmed on Planet X, with its icy wonders (filmed in Iceland, of course), are cool. There are probably others I’m forgetting, but I’ll get those next time I watch it…
Minor quibbles. The area Cooper and his family live in is plagued by dust… dust in the house, in their lungs, in huge dust storms that they must seek shelter from. But dust must come from somewhere: sand dunes, desert, or a “dust bowl” region that hasn’t seen rain. Yet the landscape in the film was relatively lush and lacked the dust with which to cause such problems. They should have made it look more arid. Also, Cooper’s son had brown eyes as a kid, and blue eyes as an adult. I don’t usually notice such details, but this was glaring to me. Brown vs. blue eyes is basic Mendelian genetics; that would never fly in my movie…
I’m not done writing about Interstellar yet. Go see it and tell me all that you thought about it.
October 1, 2014
Movie Cliches: The Parent Who Disappeared
TV and movies are bastions for characters with Mom and Dad issues. That’s cool. After all, to believe that our parents don’t have a substantial influence on our development would be to live in denial. And it gives a character some depth to know that they too have struggled with a parental relationship.
It’s especially compelling when a character grew up with only one parent. Despite the common nature of divorce in US society, most children of divorce still have some kind of relationship with both parents. So when one parent is completely out of the picture, you know it’s due to a serious reason that likely impacted the character in a major way.
But…
One cliche you see too often is The Parent Who Disappeared. At some point in the story, the character shares (often with a trusted significant other) that he or she has no idea where Mom or Dad is and hasn’t seen or heard from the parent since an early age. Then, the character goes on to say, “He/she went out for cigarettes and never came back.”
Here are a few examples, all from shows or movies I adore:
Pretty in Pink: Andy’s mom pulled a disappearing act and never returned, leaving her father to raise his daughter while clinically depressed and financially strained.
Sex and the City: Carrie Bradshaw confesses to her older male mentor at Vogue that her father went out one day when she was very young, and never returned. She never spoke of him again on the show.
Homeland: Carrie Mathison divulges to Brody that her mother went to the store and never returned, fed up with her father’s untreated bipolar disorder.
I know there are many, many others. I can’t recall them, so feel free to mention in the comment section.
This is a cliche, and not a good one. It’s overused, and it’s not believable. Here’s why:
Parents do leave, but they rarely disappear completely or for good. More often, their role simply decreases in the kid’s life or the relationship becomes strained when the parent moves on with another partner/family or simply isn’t interested in being a parent.
It’s rare for a parent to completely abandon a child for good, and especially for a mother to do so. If they do, there’s usually some serious pathology there, not just a “couldn’t take it anymore.”
Even if someone does the full abandon, they’re not going to leave without at least some things to take with them. Chances are, they didn’t bring their clothes or winter coat to the store with them. And what about the car? Did they take that too?
If married, leaving is extremely complicated. What about the home you own, joint checking accounts, and the legal bond you have with your spouse? These aren’t things you can just walk away from. Is the parent going to keeping drawing from the joint accounts or does he/she have some special secret account out there?
The left spouse would probably call the cops out of worry.
You can hire people to find people, even if just for the peace of mind. Most partners wouldn’t just say “they left” and accept it. They would seek closure.
In Homeland, the thing with Carrie’s mom is especially absurd because her father was bipolar and untreated and “hard to live with,” spurring the mom to leave. But it makes no sense at all why the healthier spouse would abandon all and leave her children to the care of a man who’s so mentally ill that she needed to leave him. Never happen. If anything, she would leave with the kids.
Another cliche that’s worse and used even more often is the “Where were you? I needed you!” chiche, where an adolescent is mad at a parent (usually Dad) for “not being there,” usually because Dad was “messed up” or just too devoted to his work that’s he’s obsessed with and really good at. A theme in these movies is the dad repairing the shredded relationship with the angry teen. This does happen, of course, but the angry teen thing gets old and so do the ready-made speeches and anger about being abandoned. There are a variety of reactions to such a loss, and angry sanctimony is just one of them.
If you want to do Mom and Dad drama, there’s a world of fodder out there. Talk to people about their frustrations and struggles with their parents, about troubled parents or difficult divorces or custody arrangements. Read books about parenting and about healing relationships with parents.
September 5, 2014
Science Fiction Movie Times: Friday 9/5/14
Special Engagements and Limited Showings
Jurassic Park is the midnight movie at the Esquire!
The Congress: see if you’re a Robin Wright fan…
Synopsis: More than two decades after catapulting to stardom, aging actress Robin Wright (playing a version of herself) decides to preserve her digital likeness for a future Hollywood. Her alias will be controlled by Miramount Studios, and will star in any film they want with no restrictions. In return she receives compensation so she can care for her ailing son, and her digitized character will stay forever young. Twenty years later under the creative vision of the studio’s head animator, Wright’s digital double rises to immortal stardom. With her contract expiring, she is invited to take part in “The Congress” convention as she makes her comeback straight into the world of future fantasy cinema.
Ghostbusters: The 30th Anniversary
Playing at the IMAX at Denver’s Nature and Science Museum…
A host of movies and programs that are science, space, and sci-fi related…
Now Showing in Theaters
Guardians of the Galaxy: I’ll be seeing this one with my scifi buddy Nick… also available in 3D
Synopsis: After stealing a mysterious orb, American pilot/outlaw hero Peter Quill is hunted down and thrown into an inter-galactic prison. In order to secure his freedom, Quill reluctantly joins forces with alien bandits Drax, Gamora, Rocket and Groot to form an alliance of misfits known as the Guardians of the Galaxy, and with the all-powerful villain Ronan hunting the orb, the fate of the universe is in their hands.
The Giver
Synopsis: The haunting story of THE GIVER centers on Jonas, a young man who lives in a seemingly ideal, if colorless, world of conformity and contentment. Yet as he begins to spend time with The Giver, who is the sole keeper of all the community’s memories, Jonas quickly begins to discover the dark and deadly truths of his community’s secret past. With this newfound power of knowledge, he realizes that the stakes are higher than imagined – a matter of life and death for himself and those he loves most. At extreme odds, Jonas knows that he must escape their world to protect them all – a challenge that no one has ever succeeded at before.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Also available in 3D
Lucy: Hopefully you like Scarlett Johansson enough to tolerate the “we only use 10% of our brains” crap
Synopsis: A woman is accidentally caught in a dark deal, turns the tables on her captors and transforms into a merciless warrior evolved beyond human logic.
September 3, 2014
Snowpiercer: Haves and Have-Nots on a Train
Not the American movie poster, but I liked this one because he was an interesting character.
Spoiler alert: This is a film analysis, so there are spoilers.
Snowpiercer, directed by Bong Joon-ho, has been at the Denver Film Society’s SIE Film Center for what seems like ages. Usually films have short life there (common in the indie film world), but this one did well. Once we saw it, I wondered why a film that clearly had a sizable budget and Hollywood aspects to it would be playing at the Film Center.
Well, it turns out there’s a feud between the director and Harvey Weinstein, who’s a producer on the film. Weinstein wanted it cut shorter, Joon-ho refused, so Weinstein severely limited the film’s distribution. Which explains why it’s not playing in other theaters.
Anyway, in the film, attempts to handle Earth’s global warming problem wind up freezing it, killing everyone and everything except those who happened to be aboard Wilford’s fancy train that circles the globe in exactly one year. Civilization manages to survive 17 years on this train that never stops. But as with most post-apocalyptic, dystopian stories, the civilization isn’t very healthy.
The train is the “vehicle” and metaphor for the stratification of society, where those in the front of the train live large–with their fur coats, jacuzzis, delicious food, and aquarium–while those in the tail are oppressed, forced to live in dirty clothes, sleep in tight bunks, eat gelatinous protein slabs doled out by those who control the resources, and occasionally give up their children for reasons we aren’t sure of yet. Partial spoiler: the protein source for the slabs is a pretty low form, and the kids aren’t used for education or entertainment.
Snowpiercer is reminiscent of Elysium, with its heavy-handed Have vs. Have-Not allegory, where the snooty white people with their absurdly comfy lifestyle don’t want to share their plentiful resources with the unwashed masses on Earth. It had moments of of Hunger Games as well, where the wealthy, excessive Haves of the Capitol ignore the suffering in the other districts, use video as one of many ways to oppress the masses, and even make the Have Nots look Dickensian dirty.
Snowpiercer even takes another step to make dang sure we know about the allegory when Tilda Swinton’s whimsically diabolical character, after freezing off the arm of a man who throws his shoe at the authorities, puts the shoe on his head and explains that shoes belong on feet, not heads. In other words, the 1st class passengers who paid to be up front shall stay up front where the good shit is, whereas those in the tail shall stay in the tail (foot) like they deserve. That is their “destiny.” Yes, they used the word destiny. That shoe-tossing act had its foreshadow-y importance, as the tail people got to the head… but not without a severe price.
So the oppressed decided to revolt, and this revolt is the movie’s plot. There have been other revolts, but none made it all the way to the front, where the B0ss Man (Wilford) resides. Wilford created the special train and is responsible for keeping it running 24-7.
The Leader and his band of supporters make their way forward, fighting militants with axes (this was pretty gruesome) and schoolteachers with guns, but occasionally stopping to check out the aquarium and greenhouse and to eat sushi.
When Leader Man finally has his showdown with Wilford, I could not help but think of the confrontation between Neo and The Architect in the 3rd Matrix film. In that film, after so much violence and action and fight scenes and effects, it came down to a very quiet conversation in a very quiet room between the Hero and the older, white male who’s been orchestrating EVERYTHING the entire time, including the revolts themselves. The scene in Matrix Revolutions was better.
The best thing about Snowpiercer was seeing the train cars, each more elaborate and luxurious than the next. It included a cast of somewhat unexpected actors playing interesting roles, including Kang-ho Song and Ah-sung Ko as a drug-addled father-daughter team, Tilda Swinton as the ruthless but spineless order-keeper, and Octavia Spencer as someone who kicks some ass.
Finally, the ending. A polar bear as a sign of hope. The freeze is melting, allowing life to survive. But how? How will a young woman and boy survive and reproduce? One pair isn’t enough to create a population that isn’t terribly inbred.
August 21, 2014
Science Fiction Films Showing: Thursday 8/21/14
Special Limited Showing in Denver
Dr. Strangelove: Two Showings Only! Fri 8/22 (930 pm) and Sun 8/24 (2pm), SIE Film Center
From SIE film center: Arguably the greatest black comedy ever made, Stanley Kubrick’s cold war classic is the ultimate satire of the nuclear age. Dr. Strangelove is a perfect spoof of political and military insanity, beginning when General Jack D. Ripper (Sterling Hayden), a maniacal warrior obsessed with “the purity of precious bodily fluids,” mounts his singular campaign against Communism by ordering a squadron of B-52 bombers to attack the Soviet Union. The Soviets counter the threat with a so-called “Doomsday Device,” and the world hangs in the balance while the U.S. president (Peter Sellers) engages in hilarious hot-line negotiations with his Soviet counterpart. Sellers also plays a British military attaché and the mad bomb-maker Dr. Strangelove; George C. Scott is outrageously frantic as General Buck Turgidson, whose presidential advice consists mainly of panic and statistics about “acceptable losses.” With dialogue (“You can’t fight here! This is the war room!”) and images (Slim Pickens’s character riding the bomb to oblivion) that have become a part of our cultural vocabulary, Kubrick’s film regularly appears on critics’ lists of the all-time best.
Now Showing in Theaters
Guardians of the Galaxy: I’ll be seeing this one with my scifi buddy Nick… also available in 3D
Synopsis: After stealing a mysterious orb, American pilot/outlaw hero Peter Quill is hunted down and thrown into an inter-galactic prison. In order to secure his freedom, Quill reluctantly joins forces with alien bandits Drax, Gamora, Rocket and Groot to form an alliance of misfits known as the Guardians of the Galaxy, and with the all-powerful villain Ronan hunting the orb, the fate of the universe is in their hands.
The Giver
Synopsis: The haunting story of THE GIVER centers on Jonas, a young man who lives in a seemingly ideal, if colorless, world of conformity and contentment. Yet as he begins to spend time with The Giver, who is the sole keeper of all the community’s memories, Jonas quickly begins to discover the dark and deadly truths of his community’s secret past. With this newfound power of knowledge, he realizes that the stakes are higher than imagined – a matter of life and death for himself and those he loves most. At extreme odds, Jonas knows that he must escape their world to protect them all – a challenge that no one has ever succeeded at before.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Also available in 3D
Snowpiercer: Everyone’s talking about this one…
Synopsis: The surviving members of humanity struggle to survive amidst a world covered in ice on a supertrain where the poor and the rich are constantly at odds in the English-language debut of filmmaker Bong Joon-ho (The Host). Chris Evans, Tilda Swinton and Jaime Bell star.
Lucy: Hopefully you like Scarlett Johansson enough to tolerate the “we only use 10% of our brains” crap
Synopsis: A woman is accidentally caught in a dark deal, turns the tables on her captors and transforms into a merciless warrior evolved beyond human logic.
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes: There’s also a 3D version playing
X-Men: Days of Future Past
July 31, 2014
Science Fiction Films Showing: Thursday 7/31/14
A couple of good new releases for this week!
Special Limited Showing in Denver
Gravity: One Night Only, Wed 8/6, at the Phipps IMAX theater
In IMAX 3D
Film includes post-film discussion with space scientist Steve Lee
Part of the Denver Film Society’s Sci-Fi Film Series
Now Showing in Theaters
NEW: Guardians of the Galaxy: I’ll be seeing this one with my scifi buddy Nick… also available in 3D
Synopsis: After stealing a mysterious orb, American pilot/outlaw hero Peter Quill is hunted down and thrown into an inter-galactic prison. In order to secure his freedom, Quill reluctantly joins forces with alien bandits Drax, Gamora, Rocket and Groot to form an alliance of misfits known as the Guardians of the Galaxy, and with the all-powerful villain Ronan hunting the orb, the fate of the universe is in their hands.
NEW: Ghost in the Shell: An indie that looks interesting…
Synopsis: In the year 2029, the world has become interconnected by a vast electronic network that permeates every aspect of life. That same network also becomes a battlefield for Tokyo’s Section Nine security force, which has been charged with apprehending the master hacker known only as thePuppet Master. Spearheading the investigation is Major Motoko Kusanagi, who — like many in her department — is a cyborg officer, far more powerful than her human appearance would suggest. And yet as the Puppet Master, who is even capable of hacking human minds, leaves a trail of victims robbed of their memories, Kusanagi ponders the very nature of her existence: is she purely an artificial construct, or is there more? What, exactly, is the ghost — her essence — in her cybernetic shell? When Section Six gets involved in the case, she is forced to confront the fact that there is more here than meets the eye, and that the Puppet Master may hold some of the answers she seeks. But little does she know that he has been seeking her as well.~ Emru Townsend, All Movie Guide
Snowpiercer: Everyone’s talking about this one…
Synopsis: The surviving members of humanity struggle to survive amidst a world covered in ice on a supertrain where the poor and the rich are constantly at odds in the English-language debut of filmmaker Bong Joon-ho (The Host). Chris Evans, Tilda Swinton and Jaime Bell star.
Lucy: Hopefully you like Scarlett Johansson enough to tolerate the “we only use 10% of our brains” crap
Synopsis: A woman is accidentally caught in a dark deal, turns the tables on her captors and transforms into a merciless warrior evolved beyond human logic.
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes: There’s also a 3D version playing
I Origins: An indie worth checking out
Synopsis: A molecular biologist and his lab partner uncover startling evidence that could fundamentally change society as we know it and cause them to question their once-certain beliefs in science and spirituality.
Hercules: Also has a 3D version
Transformers: Age of Extinction
X-Men: Days of Future Past
July 29, 2014
“The Refugee” is only 99 cents for a limited time on Amazon!
If you love science fiction with great characters, “The Refugee” — the first in the Korvali Chronicles series — is only 99 cents on Amazon!
This is for a limited time only: today (7/29/14) through Friday 8/1/14.
Here is the synopsis:
The Korvali allow no outsider to visit Korvalis. They forbid their citizens to leave. They’re brilliant geneticists, but they refuse to share their genetic secrets with outsiders. Their xenophobia excludes them from the Orion Interplanetary Alliance, and the other planets don’t like or trust them. However, everyone tolerates the status quo…
Until a Korvali geneticist escapes his planet and takes refuge among humans on a starship.
The Refugee–the first of the Korvali Chronicles series–tells the story of Eshel, the Korvali refugee, and Dr. Catherine Finnegan, the human geneticist who befriends him, as they face the political, scientific, and interpersonal ramifications of Eshel’s living among outsiders. From censoring of their scientific work to intolerance for Eshel’s cold arrogance, struggles abound… until an alarming incident sets things in motion that will alter the course of the future for all.
July 25, 2014
Science Fiction Films Showing: Thursday, July 25th, 2014
Admit it: You want to blow of your bike ride/hike/picnic, escape the midsummer heat, and go hide out in a cool, dark theater for an afternoon of sci-fi.
Here’s what’s playing:
Special Limited Showing in Denver
Alien (Yes, Alien!): Wed, July 30th ONLY at the SIE Film Center in Denver
Stick around for the discussion afterward with a real, live scientist
Part of Denver Film Society’s Science Fiction Film Series
Now Showing in theaters
Snowpiercer: Everyone’s talking about this one…
Synopsis: The surviving members of humanity struggle to survive amidst a world covered in ice on a supertrain where the poor and the rich are constantly at odds in the English-language debut of filmmaker Bong Joon-ho (The Host). Chris Evans, Tilda Swinton and Jaime Bell star.
Lucy: Hopefully you like Scarlett Johansson enough to tolerate the “we only use 10% of our brains” crap
Synopsis: A woman is accidentally caught in a dark deal, turns the tables on her captors and transforms into a merciless warrior evolved beyond human logic.
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes: There’s also a 3D version playing
I Origins
Synopsis: A molecular biologist and his lab partner uncover startling evidence that could fundamentally change society as we know it and cause them to question their once-certain beliefs in science and spirituality.
Hercules: Also has a 3D version
Transformers: Age of Extinction
X-Men: Days of Future Past
July 6, 2014
The Many Meanings of “Mutant”
When you hear the word “mutant,” what comes to mind? Something negative, off, or scary, right? Something that has gone awry from a biological standpoint, that is different from the rest of us or what is considered “normal.”
And since a mutation creates a mutant, mutation doesn’t conjure up good feelings either. Years ago, I had a roommate who had celiac disease, where she couldn’t eat anything with gluten in it. I asked her the origin of this disease and she told me it was genetic. I referred to the allelic change that would make her have celiac as a “mutation.” She said no, it’s just a variant, a different version. A variant and a mutation are the same, of course. But for her, coming from a non-genetics background, the word “mutation” had a negative connotation and she didn’t like my calling it that.
And this isn’t surprising. “Mutation” sounds like something gone wrong genetically, and “mutant” sounds like the freak that results. And science fiction is littered with these “freaks.”
Comic Books
Mutants have been used in comic books for decades. Marvel has an entire series of them, known as X-Men. These X-Men mutants possess an “X-gene” that allows the mutant to naturally develop superhuman powers and abilities. I haven’t read the comics, but in the movies the X-Men live in secret away from the normal humans who are scared of them and are inclined to exploit, abuse, murder, or otherwise treat them in an inhumane fashion.
Although far lesser known than Marvel’s mutants, DC Comics also has mutants, differentiating them from “metahumans” because they are born with their powers, rather than acquiring them.
In other comics and science fiction stories, mutants are biologically (and often genetically) altered, often due to exposure to something caustic (radiation, a virus) that changed them. Sometimes the changes make them powerful in a good way, other times they make them evil and dangerous.
In The Refugee, “mutant” is a slur for a Korvali. The Korvali are extremely tall and rather odd, but are no “freakier” than the other aliens in this world, other than the fact that they’re generally disliked. More likely, the origin of this insult is the fact that they’re famed geneticists and are quite adept at genetic engineering.
What a Mutant ACTUALLY Is
Here are a few definitions of mutant:
In biology and especially genetics, a mutant is an organism or a new genetic character arising or resulting from an instance of mutation, which is a base-pair sequence change within the DNA of a gene or chromosome of an organism. (Wikipedia)
Of, relating to, or produced by mutation (Merriam-Webster)
And for mutation:
In genetics, a mutation is a change of the nucleotide sequence of the genome of an organism, virus, or extrachromosomal genetic element. Mutations result from unrepaired damage to DNA or to RNA genomes (typically caused by radiation or chemical mutagens), errors in the process of replication, or from the insertion or deletion of segments of DNA by mobile genetic elements. Mutations may or may not produce discernible changes in the observable characteristics (phenotype) of an organism. Mutations play a part in both normal and abnormal biological processes including: evolution, cancer, and the development of the immune system. (Wikipedia)
A significant and basic alteration or a relatively permanent change in hereditary material involving either a physical change in chromosome relations or a biochemical change in the codons that make up genes. (Merriam-Webster)
In other words, a mutation is a change in the DNA nucleotide sequence. Some changes have no effect on the organism at all. Others do, particular if they alter a resulting protein product. If a protein product is altered, often (not always) the effect is detrimental. DNA has repair mechanisms just for this: if a nucleotide is changed, the repairer can go in and change it back.
Larger sections of DNA can be mutated (changed) as well. As non-lethal mutations occur in a species’ gene pool, this can increase genetic variation. The favorable changes make for healthy organisms that go on to pass those “good” genes on to progeny, whereas unfavorable mutations will not often survive long enough to reproduce and thus get winnowed out of the gene pool.
So, as you can see, mutations are key to evolution and survival of living things.
June 23, 2014
Epigenetics II: X-Inactivation and Why Women are “Stripy” (and Calico Cats are Patchy)
In honor of the release of The Refugee, I explained the basics of epigenetics in a recent post. Recently, I came across a video from IFL Science entitled, “Why women are stripy.”
Stripy?
It turns out women really ARE stripy, and epigenetics is the reason.
So DNA expression (i.e. gene expression) is dependent upon other factors that control if and when a gene is turned on, turned off, or regulated in its expression in some way. These other factors are what we call epigenetics, which can include how the DNA is coiled and stored in a cell (exposed genes are expressed, hidden ones are not) as well as how and where methyl groups will attach themselves onto the DNA molecule and impact expression.
Humans have 23 pairs of chromosomes, one set from Mom and one from Dad, and each is loaded with genes. The 23rd set are the sex chromosomes: XY for guys, XX for girls. It wouldn’t do for both X’s in each cell to produce gene products, as this would mess everything up. So, one X is inactivated in each cell in your body. This process is done epigenetically very early in fetal development, where the inactivated X DNA is packed very tightly and heavily methylated, telling the body to leave it alone and not let the DNA code for RNA and then proteins.
The thing is, in some cells Mom’s X gets inactivated; in others, Dad’s does. Once the cells decide who “wins,” they then begin to divide and make more cells with an X with the same origin. This creates a “striped” pattern in women’s bodies, where strips of their bodies have cells with Dad’s X and other strips have cells with Mom’s X. Of course, you can’t actually see these stripes in humans. But you CAN see them in calico cats.
Calico cats are patchy in color for the same reason, as the gene for coat color is on the X chromosome. So you get one coat color from Mom and another from Dad, and you get those patches.
Pretty cool.
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