This installation may be art + science at it’s finest! We’re amazed at how innovative, and unique this idea is — to see it in person would be truly thrilling. These photos were created by Dutch artist Berndnaut Smilde, and are a part of his Nimbus series. Here’s some more information behind the photos, via Colossal:
Smilde’s methods … are less mythic and more practical, instead relying on delicate balance of smoke, moisture and light. Of course science alone doesn’t account for the striking visual impact contained in each image, as the artist carefully selects the perfect location for the creation of each cloud and then painstakingly lights it from behind for the desired effect. Via email Smilde tells me that it can take quite a while to get all of the elements in place for each cloud and that the installation is so fleeting, the use of photography is critical in capturing the split second where everything becomes perfect.
Smilde has three upcoming exhibitions this year including Ronchini Gallery in London from January 16 through February 16, the SFAC Galleries in San Francisco from February through April, and at Land of Tomorrow in Louisville, Kentucky also from February through April.
If you’re looking to create your own personal work of art, check out our unique portrait ideas that also combine science and art.
We found this very cool lamp, designed by Sebastian Bergne for Luceplan Spa, and thought it was perfect for our Inspirational Design series! We love how unique, and unconventional this fixture is. It resembles a work of art far more than it resembles a lamp. Via Design Milk:
The design of the Curl table lamp combines both the light source and the light’s reflector into one curvy piece. Designed by Sebastian Bergne for Luceplan Spa, the unconventional lamp uses what’s known as “tuneable” LED lighting to adjust the white light temperature from 2400˚ to 3500˚ kelvin.
Perfect for ambient lighting, the fixture does away with the typical lamp base so it can stand in various ways giving it a sculptural quality.
If you love innovative design, you should browse through our unique potrait ideas!
Have you ever seen such an amazing display of craftsmanship, art, and science? This stunning woodcut print called “The Moon” is currently being produced by Tugboat Printshop – a shop ran by a husband and wife team who specialize in woodblock prints. According to their site “The Moon” is the largest print they have ever made, measuring in a 36×32″. Once the woodcarving is complete, the image will be hand printed on paper and sent out to those who were lucky enough to get a pre-order in with the shop. You can keep track of the carving process on the shop’s flickr page. What do you think of this duo’s take on art + science? We love it!
Exciting news for those conspiracy theorists out there! A Texan researcher and her team of scientists claim to have confirmed the existence of what we refer to as Bigfoot — A.K.A. The Great Bear, Yeti, Sasquatch, Abominable Snowman, or Harry. Here is some more information on the study, and its findings via Red Orbit:
Researcher Melba Ketchum led a team of scientists in a five-year DNA study purporting to confirm the existence of the hominin hybrid species commonly referred to as Bigfoot. The findings of this study are not yet published and are currently undergoing peer review.
The study findings suggest that the mythical creature known as Bigfoot is a human relative that emerged approximately 1,500 years ago as a hybrid cross between modern Homo sapiens and another as yet unknown primate species. The team was a multi-disciplinary group of experts in genetics, forensics, imaging and pathology. Dr. Ketchum confirms that the team has sequenced three complete Sasquatch nuclear genomes and has determined that the species is definitively a human hybrid.
“Our study has sequenced 20 whole mitochondrial genomes and utilized next generation sequencing to obtain 3 whole nuclear genomes from purported Sasquatch samples. The genome sequencing shows that Sasquatch mtDNA is identical to modern Homo sapiens, but Sasquatch nuDNA is a novel, unknown hominin related to Homo sapiens and other primate species. Our data indicate that the North American Sasquatch is a hybrid species, the result of males of an unknown hominin species crossing with female Homo sapiens,” said Ketchum.
With any news or emerging research such as this, there is alot of scepticism surrounding the study. Via Neurologica:
Let me offer a preliminary alternate hypothesis. The hair samples that contain only human mtDNA are from a human. The samples from which the nuDNA is isolated are also from humans but with some contaminants or some other animal source mixed in. That seems to be a more parsimonious interpretation. I would like to know more about the source of the DNA, but I guess that will have to wait for the full details to be published. The fact that the human DNA is modern human (hence the need for the alleged hybridization to have occurred so recently in the past) is most easily explained as the source simply being modern humans.
While Ketchum does have the experience and expertise to lend to her credibility — she has over 27 years of research experience in genetics and forensics – many sources are saying she will likely have issues getting her study published. Many are thinking the study should have gone under peer review, before being released to the media. What are your opinions on her study? We’d love to hear from you!
Love genetics? Browse through our unique portrait ideas.
Photo credit: Huffington Post
At DNA 11, we know all too well just how unique we all are. Your Fingerprint, DNA, and Kiss portraits are all individual representations of who you are – but how much do you really know about what makes you, well, you? DNA determines everything about us. From what hair colour you have, to how long you will live, to whether or not you’ll have dimples! Check out this great video showcasing “18 Things You Should Know About Genetics” by David Murawsky. Let us know what you think in the comments!
Check out these remarkable photographs by Jason Tozer, a London-based photographer. With a special lighting technique he developed himself, Tozer manages to turn regular soap bubbles into stunning macro shots resembling something you would see in space. Via PetaPixel:
All of these bubbles are sitting on a wet ring. This gives me time to set the focus and size of the bubble, and manipluate the colours if I choose to. I blow down a straw to excite the surface of the bubble & spin the colour bands around. Occasionally a bubble will last much much longer than the others and it becomes increasingly clear as the colour bands move to the base. If I blow carefully on these, I can sometimes create the almost colourless textures, the more moon like ones.
I use household detergent with a little bit of glycerine in the mix. That helps with the lengevity of the bubble.
The project is appropriately titled “Bubbles”, which became a reality when Tozer was simply trying to test out a new camera. The photographer claims to use very little retouching on his work, so what you are seeing here is the authentic details and colours of the bubbles.
If you love this coupling of science + art, be sure to check out our DNA portraits!
You know how we have a soft spot for innovative design? Well this week, we seem to have fallen for a new mash-up of botany and technology. Introducing the Click and Grow – the answer to the lazy gardener’s prayers! Via Mashable:
The Click and Grow flower pot and plant cartridge work like a printer and toner. The pot contains electronics, sensors, batteries, a pump and a water reservoir; the cartridge contains seeds, nutrients and software (in a microchip) for growing the plant. There are currently 13 varieties of flowers and plants, and the selection is continuously growing. Right now the available selection includes painted nettle, lamb’s ear, marigolds and more. You can also grow edible things such as basil, thyme, sage, tomatoes and chili peppers.
Founder Mattias Lepp tells Mashable all you have to do is add water and batteries (not in the same place) — everything else is done by the sensors and software. You’ll also have to find a sunny place for your plant to sit, or at least somewhere it can absorb the sun’s rays, sunshine or not.
The idea for Click and Grow began three years ago, Lepp says, while reading an article about a NASA mission in which plants were taken into space. He began fusing technology with gardening in his own backyard in Estonia to see if he could grow plants with little or no care in a harsh climate. He made several iterations of the planter and one very cold winter, he says, the device he created was able to grow tomatoes “very quickly.” The company grew from there and officially launched one year ago.
Lepp said Click and Grow should also cut down on the waste that comes from single plants being purchased in plastic containers that then get thrown away. The potting container is reusable; though the cartridges need to be replaced for each new plant.
The product retails for $59.99, with cartridges costing about $19.99 each. We’d love to get our hands on one of these for the DNA 11 offices!
On this Day in Science is a DNA 11 blog series featuring historical discoveries, births, or news in the science or genetics world.
Twelve years ago today, the International Space Station finally began operation two years after it was officially launched into orbit.  The station has roughly the same volume as a five-bedroom house and can hold up to six crew members at a time. It’s still in use today, and has housed astronauts and cosmonauts from over a dozen different nations. Via National Geographic:
The International Space Station is an orbiting laboratory and construction site that synthesizes the scientific expertise of 16 nations to maintain a permanent human outpost in space.
While floating some 240 miles (390 kilometers) above Earth’s surface, the space station has hosted a rotating international crew since November 2000.
Astronauts and supplies are ferried by … the Russian Soyuz and Progress spacecraft. Astronauts who reach the facility aboard one of these missions typically live and work in orbit for about six months.
Simply by spending time in orbit, astronauts reveal much more about how humans can live and work in space. Crews have learned the difficulties of diet, in a world in which their sense of taste is decreased, and of getting a good night’s sleep while secured to a non-floating object.
But the crew is also occupied with a full suite of scientific experiments, the ongoing improvement and construction of the station, and a rigorous regime of physical training. Astronauts must exercise for two hours each day to counteract the detrimental effects of low gravity on the body’s skeleton and circulatory system.
COOL FACT: The state of Texas passed a piece of legislation in 1997 allowing US astronauts to vote even if they were serving a mission in space. To this day, American occupants of the ISS can “beam” down their ballots via a secure electronic system.
Looking for art that’s out of this world? Check out our unique portraits.
The answer to the age-old question “does life exist on other planets?” may be answered sooner than we think. Researchers are currently developing a project that could prove this theory, by testing for the existence of DNA on Mars. Via Mashable:
Two high-profile entrepreneurs say they want to put a DNA sequencing machine on the surface of Mars in a bid to prove the existence of extraterrestrial life.
In what could become a race for the first extraterrestrial genome, researcher J. Craig Venter said Tuesday that his Maryland academic institute and company, Sythentic Genomics, would develop a machine capable of sequencing and beaming back DNA data from Mars.
Separately, Jonathan Rothberg, founder of Ion Torrent, a DNA sequencing company, is collaborating on an effort to adapt his company’s “Personal Genome Machine” for Martian conditions.
Although neither team yet has a berth on Mars rocket, their plans reflect the belief that the simplest way to prove there is life on Mars is to send a DNA sequencing machine to the planet.
“There will be DNA life forms there,” Venter predicted Tuesday in New York, where he was speaking at the Wired Health Conference.
Venter said researchers working with him have already begun tests at a Mars-like test site in the Mojave Desert. Their goal, he said, is to demonstrate a machine capable of autonomously isolating microbes from soil, sequencing their DNA, and then transmitting the information to a remote computer, as would be required on an unmanned Mars mission. Heather Kowalski, a spokeswoman for Venter, confirmed the existence of the project, but also said the prototype system was “not yet 100% robotic.”
Looking for DNA on Mars won’t be easy. A robot would have to scoop up soil and prepare a sample automatically. The sequencing machine would need to work in cold temperatures and in a very thin atmosphere made mostly of CO2. Martian genes might also be different from those in the bodies of terrestrial animals, perhaps being made up of different chemical building blocks.
If they were to find the existence of DNA through this experiment, it would undeniably prove that extraterrestrial life does exist. We can’t wait to learn more about this project as new details emerge!
Until then, if you’re looking for a DNA project of your own, check out our custom DNA portraits.Â
It’s getting colder outside and we’re always on the hunt for cool ways to bring the outdoors in. Check out these awesome lights via Colossal:
These funky tree lights were designed by Judson Beaumont of Straight Line Designs, a furniture design firm out of Vancouver. Called Tree Rings, the lights are made out of a beetle pine shell topped with mirrored Plexiglas that allows the embedded cool fluorescent light to shine through in the dark. I’m not sure of the practical application, but it appears the lights can be used as as small tables and bear enough weight to act as a stool.
The vibrant colours remind us of our Infrared and Firesky DNA Portraits!
