News Media Representations of Gene Transcriptional Profiling

How Do the Culture/Nature Binary and Animal Ethics Factor In

Dados Bibliográficos

ID20250506
AutoresAmy Fitzgerald (0000-0003-3674-9825, University of Windsor), Jennifer Halliday (0000-0001-6206-3857, University of Windsor), Christina Semeniuk (University of Windsor)
Ano2025
Volume15
Fascículo2
Páginas159-176
Data de publicação2025-10-01
Peer ReviewedSim
Open AccessNão
TipoARTICLE
PeriódicoJournal of Animal Ethics (JOURNAL)
Identificadores do periódicoISSN: 2160-1267 • E-ISSN: 2156-5414
EditoraUniversity of Illinois Press (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.5406/21601267.15.2.06
OpenAlexW7103989818
IdiomaEN
Referências citadas33

Developments in genomics, notably the development of transcriptomics, have enabled the “molecularization of life” (Rose, 2001, p.13). Most analyses of these developments focus on human medicine. Other realms warrant attention, specifically applications with nonhuman animals, which are increasingly likely in response to growing concerns regarding their adaptability to rapid environmental changes. Given that public understandings can impact adoption of novel technologies in important ways, and that the public mostly receives information about technologies from news media, this article examines communication of knowledge and socioethical (particularly animal ethics) considerations regarding transcriptomics in news media. One key consideration examined is the potential collapsing of the culture/nature binary in light of transcriptomics developments forecasted in the literature. We find that explicit attention to socioethical implications is least likely when nonhuman animals are involved, whereas it most often occurs in relation to ways transcriptomics could be used to unsettle what constitutes human nature, illustrating the ongoing power of the culture/nature binary

Adaptability · Binary opposition · Human animal · News media · Warrant · Animal Genetics and Reproduction · Genetically Modified Organisms Research · Race, Genetics, and Society