Rise of the Planet of Apes and Biotechnology

Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Rise of the planet of the Apes is about a scientist who is trying to find a cure for Alzheimer’s by testing chimps with various treatments. One of the treatments works, a little too well, and lets the chimp learn things on a faster scale than human themselves. The chimp is at first obedient and loved by the scientist, until the authorities take him away to a facility where he feels abused and neglected. He then creates his own “army” of chimps to rebel against the humans and in the end is let free into the wild. The scientist uses a substance that he calls the one-twelve and this is supposed to repair the deteriorating brain of a patient who has Alzheimer’s. It is a form of gene therapy that he had tested on the chimps. It allows the brain to create its own cells to repair itself, called neurogenesis in biology. Aside from this he used a wide array of tools to help him with his treatment on the chimps but not necessarily the biotechnology part of it. For example, they built small holding cells for the chimps, and puzzles to assess their brain development. In this story the drug seemed to be effective on humans, until the grandfather became resistant to it. This applies to the real world, because even if something in biotechnology seems like it would have great benefits, it can wear off or have side effects since you’re disrupting nature. Biotechnology also has the potential for great discoveries especially when it comes to curing diseases. It also provides a lot of job opportunities since it is a growing field. Biotechnology can get out of control though when testing living subjects, such as the chimps in the movie. It might also be considered immoral at times to test certain animals.