July 31, 2012 7:00 am
Teaching Molecular Biology with Watercolors
Macrophage Bacterium by David S. Goodsell
Molecular biology professor David Goodsell is just as skilled with a paintbrush as he is with a microscope. He creates festive hand-drawn watercolors to illustrate the inner workings of bacteria, viruses and human cells. On first glance, his paintings are an explosion of colorful confetti, but that’s no artistic licensing; Goodsell’s work accurately depicts just how crowded the intracellular matrix is.
His paintings accompany his scientific papers, demonstrating a harmonious coupling of art and research akin to the naturalists of yore – like Linnaeus, who hand-sketched species – but for the atomic world.
io9 describes Goodsell’s unique work:
They look far more like a journey into a psychedelic garden than like the bland illustrations in so many biology textbooks.
Images like his Inside a Eukaryotic Cell use multiple canvases to create an “infinite canvas” feel, and offer a unique perspective on cellular structures.
Mycoplasma mycoides, 2011
Cytotoxic T Cell
Blood
More from Smithsonian.com:
A Microscopic View of Henrietta Lacks’ ‘Immortal Cells’
Volvox Dancing the Minuet and Waltz
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