BIOS in Search of Zoe: Ecological Graphic Novel
ASSIA CRAWFORD
Actar Publishers (non-affiliate Bookshop.org link)
$37.95 paperback, available now
Rating: 5* of five
The Publisher Says: In her groundbreaking new publication, Dr. Assia Crawford takes readers on a captivating journey at the intersection of architecture, science, and critical theory.
A distinguished Assistant Professor in Technology with a Ph.D. in Architecture, Crawford pioneers a visionary exploration of bio-design practices, experimental bio-fabrication methods, and the ethical considerations surrounding the manipulation of living organisms. This unique work emerges from Crawford’s creative practice research, which is deeply rooted in the development of biological material alternatives and digital fabrication practices tailored for a post-Anthropocene era. The ecological graphic novel format serves as a dynamic medium for conveying complex ideas about the symbiotic relationship between human and non-human entities, pushing the boundaries of traditional academic discourse.
I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA EDELWEISS+. THANK YOU.
My Review: I am unendingly amazed at the deeply creative minds hiding behind the label "scientist." I shouldn't be; engineers and scientists are all kids who never got the memo that grown-ups don't ask "why" as often as kids do.
The other bit of asking "why?" is not accepting the answer "because I said so." At least those who end up pushing the boundaries don't...and the institutionalization and specialization rampant in today's world militate against boundary-pushers. "What of you're wrong? look how much it cost! we can't reuse any of this!"
It's hogwash; sometimes wrong is only temporary. Look at the Miller-Urey experiment. A failure in 1952...reanalyzed in 2007, much more discovered than technology could record in 1952.
Author Crawford's speculations, or warnings, or predictions...really all three...are not dumbed down for a popular audience. The illustrations do the heavy lifting of explaining hard ideas. I don't think this is one for just everybody. I'm recommending it for your youthful, still flexible-of-mind bioscience nerd.
It's a pricey item so it's going to be for the very special recipient. I still feel it offers enough to think about, enough information and explanation to chew on, to be a really good gift for someone still learning about bioscience and the technology it's going to spawn, to make a clever high-schooler fire up with excited curiosity.
What better gift is there, for them as well as us?
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