The Critical Collaboration Between Art and Science: An Experiment on a Bird in the Air Pump and the Ramifications of Genomics for Society

Inspired by a famous 18th century painting by Joseph Wright, the author discerns similarities between issues relevant then and the public's current reception of scientific ideas from modern biology in the wake of the Human Genome Project. She proposes educational and scientific initiatives and advocates more positive and balanced portrayals of scientific themes in the arts to help engage the public in a discourse about the ramifications of genomics science and technology for our lives.