Tag Archives: frankenstein

What Gay Marriage Is Really About

If we zoom out to a perspective of one hundred years from now, what has the gay marriage debate of the early 21st century really been about? I think that historians of the future will see an underlying issue that … Continue reading

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They call the new cell ‘Synthia’: What is synthetic biology, and what, exactly, is Craig Venter up to?

The New York Times explains: In the approach toward which Dr. Venter is driving, engineers would specify the entire genetic code of a cell — essentially the software that runs the cell — on computers, making design changes as if … Continue reading

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The resurrection of M. capricolum

Nobody really knows whether Jesus rose from the dead, but here’s a resurrection that you can know happened. PZ Myers explains what geneticist Craig Venter hath wrought: The experiment involved creating a strand of DNA as specified by a computer … Continue reading

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The first synthetic cell

Craig Venter crosses a threshold. This today in the New York Times: Dr. Venter described the converted cell as “the first self-replicating species we’ve had on the planet whose parent is a computer.” “This is an important step, we think, … Continue reading

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“I shall look after you, and you will comfort me”: A Beautiful Scene from The Bride of Frankenstein

My all-time favorite scene from any of the Frankenstein movies. It comes from The Bride of Frankenstein. God answers the prayers of a lonely blind hermit, sending him a friend. Prepare to cry: 

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Our Monsters, Ourselves

The MONSTEROUS plays an enormous role in literature and the human imagination—from the Book of Revelation and Dante’s Inferno to Nosferatu and Mad Monster Party. It also plays a large role in politics—as in the demonizing, by the far right, of Barack … Continue reading

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