Wednesday, November 22, 2006
Animals in the Womb
I found this fascinating little piece of news over at the BoingBoing directory of wonderful things. There's a new documentary from National Geographic that goes inside the womb of animals like never before.
It's a mix of art and technology working together to show what goes on inside animals..
"Using state-of-the-art visual effects, computer graphics and real-time, moving 4-D ultrasound imagery, we can see inside the unique world of animal fetal development in a way never before possible. For the first time, these pictures shed light on how an elephant, a dolphin and a dog develop in the womb."
There's more details of it over at the National Geographic website with a video preview of a dolphin moving around inside the womb. There's not much "art" about this story, but it's still fascinating.
>> General News ¶ 11:23 PM
I found this fascinating little piece of news over at the BoingBoing directory of wonderful things. There's a new documentary from National Geographic that goes inside the womb of animals like never before.It's a mix of art and technology working together to show what goes on inside animals..
"Using state-of-the-art visual effects, computer graphics and real-time, moving 4-D ultrasound imagery, we can see inside the unique world of animal fetal development in a way never before possible. For the first time, these pictures shed light on how an elephant, a dolphin and a dog develop in the womb."
There's more details of it over at the National Geographic website with a video preview of a dolphin moving around inside the womb. There's not much "art" about this story, but it's still fascinating.
>> General News ¶ 11:23 PM
The elephant / rectum thing? Beats me.
Here's what National Geographic says..
How is an ultrasound performed on an elephant?
Ultrasound technology has been used with elephants for approximately six years in extraordinary zoological studies. To perform an ultrasound on an elephant, there is some preparation. First, the veterinarian will dispense an enema to remove all feces in the rectum and clear the path for the ultrasound transducer to be placed. The elephant is not typically sedated but is simply held in place by a rope or chain. With shoulder-length gloves and appropriate gear, the veterinarian inserts the probe into the rectum of the elephant to view the liver and other internal organs. Due to the size of the animal and its organs, only partial views of the organs can be seen on the ultrasound screen.
Here's what National Geographic says..
How is an ultrasound performed on an elephant?
Ultrasound technology has been used with elephants for approximately six years in extraordinary zoological studies. To perform an ultrasound on an elephant, there is some preparation. First, the veterinarian will dispense an enema to remove all feces in the rectum and clear the path for the ultrasound transducer to be placed. The elephant is not typically sedated but is simply held in place by a rope or chain. With shoulder-length gloves and appropriate gear, the veterinarian inserts the probe into the rectum of the elephant to view the liver and other internal organs. Due to the size of the animal and its organs, only partial views of the organs can be seen on the ultrasound screen.
I just read this documentary on the Metro newspaper (London undergroud) and I was absolutely amazed!
Even though I don't agree on this animal treatment, the images are unbelievable...
Even though I don't agree on this animal treatment, the images are unbelievable...
This little elephant in the womb is a brilliant image. Why worry about the distinction between "art" and "technology"? Who invented the paintbrush? And did he have the faintest idea what wonders talented artists might perform with it? The most brilliant artistic images I've seen in recent years were in Walking With Dinosaurs, a mixture of film and computer generated graphics. And look at what Nick Parks has done for movie animation with boring old Plastocene!
Art? Technology? Who cares, so long as the images hit us in whatever part stimulates our aesthetic appreciation? Brain, gonads, whatever.
Art? Technology? Who cares, so long as the images hit us in whatever part stimulates our aesthetic appreciation? Brain, gonads, whatever.
Is it just me or does it seem like seeing baby animals in the womb might help people understand they are sentient beings, like humans?
Chaplain Nancy
www.AnimalChaplains.com
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Chaplain Nancy
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