UC Davis experts: Experts on DNA consumer issues, philosophy and art

This year marks the 50th anniversary of one of the most important discoveries of modern science, the double helix structure of DNA. Since 1953, DNA research has had an impact on everything from biology, agriculture and medicine to criminal law and justice, art and politics. At UC Davis, one of the nation's leading research universities in biological sciences, a wide range of experts are available to discuss the significance of Watson and Crick's discovery; current research in DNA; and what the future may hold.

Consumer acceptance of GM foods

Christine Bruhn is director of the Center for Consumer Research at UC Davis. She studies consumer attitudes to genetically modified foods, including beliefs, information desired, the effect of information on attitudes and which information sources are trusted. She has written extensively on consumer attitudes towards food and recently chaired the Food and Nutrition Science Alliance, composed of the American Society for Nutritional Sciences, the American Dietetic Association, the American Society for Clinical Nutrition, and the Institute of Food Technologies. Contact: Christine Bruhn, Center for Consumer Research, (530) 752-2774, cmbruhn@ucdavis.edu.

History and philosophy of the gene

Philosophy professor James Griesemer can talk about the history and philosophy of the gene. A specialist in the philosophy of biology, history and philosophy of science, Griesemer teaches about scientific reasoning and understanding scientific change. He is writing a book titled "Reproduction in the Evolutionary Process," which provides an alternative to Richard Dawkins' popularization of the "replicator" or "selfish gene." He has also published on topics related to genetics that include reproduction and the reduction of genetics, the case for epigenetic inheritance in evolution, and human nature and the interpretation of genetic information. Contact: James Griesemer, Philosophy, (530) 752-1068, jrgriesemer@ucdavis.edu.

DNA as art

A 50-foot-tall sculpture of DNA, "Portrait of a DNA Sequence," hangs in the main stairwell of the Life Sciences Addition building, administrative home of the UC Davis Division of Biological Sciences. The sculpture was created in 1997 by artist Roger Berry to be both artistically expressive and scientifically accurate. It consists of two stainless-steel backbones forming the double helix with 200 base-pairs that link the strands and encode information displayed in colored glass. The bases change color depending on the angle of view. Note: Digital images of the sculpture are available. Contact Andy Fell or Kathleen Holder for details.

Media contacts:

• Andy Fell, News Service, (530) 752-4533, ahfell@ucdavis.edu
• Pat Bailey, News Service, (530) 752-9843, pjbailey@ucdavis.edu
• Claudia Morain, News Service, (530) 752-9841, cmmorain@ucdavis.edu

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