I chose to watch the interview with Jill Tarter (https://www.labxchange.org/library/items/lb:HarvardX:68789c56:lx_simulation:1?fullscreen=true) on her work searching for extraterrestrial life. The most memorable part of the video for me was the clip about how science fiction and the arts actually informs scientific innovations. They use the example of how much of the technology in Star Trek was not created by people with scientific backgrounds, but by the artists with little to no technical backgrounds. Since the artists were not educated in the scientific limits of the day, there could be boundless creativity and possibility in the set design. This made me think of how this also tangibly affected modern technology as both video conferencing and flip-phones were inspired by the technologies in the original Star Trek. We are also given examples for how art can specifically inform scientists in the search for alien life. In a lot of speculative fiction, life is present but not detectable or recognizable by the searchers as life. Since the search for extraterrestrial life is a field where there are yet to be concrete examples, artists and creators with a boundless imagination are scientists' best bet for visualizing and predicting what we simply have no way of knowing yet. I am reminded of how this idea of arts informing the sciences is actually very prevalent in some of our leading scientific institutions. For example, both NASA and the FERMILAB have resident artists that work with the researchers to create artwork. The artwork can be geared towards science education, but it can also grapple with the same questions scientists are tackling -- just from a slightly different angle. I just thought this part of the conversation was very impactful because it demonstrates that at the vanguard of discovery and innovation, the sciences and arts are not too different.
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Hi! The post is blank because I accidentally submitted it without pasting in my text, but the edited version is still currently pending. Here is what I wrote in case the pending post does not get approved in time:
The section of the video that really stood out to me was the part where the connection between art, science fiction, and actual scientific research is discussed. The example that was used was the design in Star Trek. Most of the technology depicted in the show was created by the artistic directors with little to no technical background in technology or science. This seems surprising, but it also makes sense. Because the artists had no limits imposed on them by scientific knowledge, imagination had free reign. In a field such as SETI where there are no known real-life models for extraterrestrial life, artists are scientists best bet in understanding what otherworldly life may look like. This conversation got me thinking about all the times art has indeed informed technological progress or scientific innovation. Both video conferencing and flip phones were innovations that first appeared in Star Trek. Many important scientific institutions like NASA and the FermiLab have famous resident artists working aside the world's brightest scientists. Many of these artists are grappling with the same questions these scientists are grappling with-- just approaching them in a different way. I loved this part of the conversation because it really got to the heart of what connects arts and sciences on such a fundamental level.