Back in 2010 I was a teaching fellow for a group of undergraduates competing in the International Genetically Engineered Machines competition (iGEM) with a project on “personalized” genetic engineering of plants. We designed genetic modifications that would alter flavor, color, vitamin production, and the presence of allergens, so that a gardener could customize seeds to [...]

Science-artist creator and connoisseur Hayley Gillespie is chasing down a goal that until now I’ve only daydreamed about: she and the rest of her crew at Art.Science.Gallery are attempting to make a real, bricks & mortar science-art gallery come true!  And there’s less than 24 hours left to do it! * Some of the prizes are gorgeous, [...]

Bringing sciart to the public isn’t always an easy task – and the growing (culturing, har har) field of bioart is some of the toughest art to showcase of all. It’s harder than hanging a painting without using nails, as many contemporary galleries insist, leading to those dangling chains from ceiling braces. Bioart, the field [...]

What does ambition look like in a scientific illustrator? Ultimate Croc Anatomy!   If you are following the #sciart hashtag on Twitter or belong to the GNSI sciart listserv you already know Mieke Roth is an accomplished scientific illustrator. Recently,she was featured in MAKE Magazine for her 3D render of the anatomy of an octopus, [...]

In a previous post I described the benefits and enduring value of Small Science. I emphasized the fact that in the current economy and funding environment, Small Science is likely to be consistent while Big Science happens in fits and starts. And I talked about how crowdsourcing and crowdfunding could bring great value to both [...]

I am a big fan of Small Science. In spite of the riches unearthed by Big Science in the fields of biology and physics during the last fifty years, historically speaking much of scientific progress has come from small groups or individuals working with relatively cheap equipment and resources. For instance consider discoveries like the [...]