Random stuffs. And I do mean RANDOM.
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May 27, 2012
May 27, 2012
May 25, 2012
The Art in Biomedical Research
1. Muscle Stem Cell Factories
Credit: FASEB 2012 Bio-Art Winner - Douglas B. Cowan
This micrograph shows cells called myoblasts attached to spherical microcarriers, which allow the growth of adult stem cells that have been isolated from skeletal muscle. The stem cells are shown in green. By combining these cells in a bioreactor, the muscle stem cells can be greatly increased in number and then separated from the myoblast “feeder” cells. The image was produced in the course of studies aimed at creating artificial “stem cell factories” and was supported by NIH funding from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute.
2. Scaffold for Cartilage Regeneration
Credit: FASEB 2012 Bio-Art Winner - Frank Moutos and Farshid Guilak
Due to a lack of blood vessels and other characteristics, cartilage heals very slowly. One way to accelerate natural cartilage repair and growth is to use tissue engineering, or the artificially-stimulated production of functional replacement tissue. The image shows a three-dimensionally woven biomaterial scaffold. The scaffold consists of multiple layers of resorbable fiber bundles that have been woven into a porous structure. The scaffold is then seeded with cells that grow to become new tissue as the fibers are resorbed. The fibers provide stiffness and strength in a manner that mimics native collagenous tissues such as cartilage. This work to use tissue engineering to generate replacement cartilage is supported by NIH funding from the National Institutes of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases.
3. Production of New Neurons
Credit: FASEB 2012 Bio-Art Winner - Grigori Enikolopov and Ann-Shyn Chiang
New neurons are produced from neural stem cells in several areas of the adult brain. One such area is in the hippocampus, a brain structure crucial for cognitive function. The number of neural stem cells in the hippocampus decreases over time, possibly contributing to the cognitive impairment associated with aging. When activated by extrinsic stimuli, stem cells divide and generate progenitor cells, which eventually mature into neurons and migrate into the layers above, whereas stem cells themselves undergo additional rounds of rapid divisions and convert into astrocytes, thus leaving the stem cell pool. The image depicts stem cells (green) and neuronal nuclei (red). This research to understand how the brain produces new neurons is supported by NIH through the National Institute of Mental Health and the National Institute of Aging.
4. Brain, Heart, and Lung Communication
Credit: FASEB 2012 Bio-Art Winner - Li-Hsien Lin
Both glutamate and nitric oxide play an important role in transmitting cardiovascular and respiratory signals between the brain, heart, and lung. This butterfly shaped figure is an image of a rat spinal cord showing the distribution of three types of glutamate and nitric oxide synthesizing enzymes. Understanding the action and interaction of glutamate and nitric oxide in the nervous system could lead to better treatments for cardiovascular diseases such as hypertension and heart failure. This work is supported by NIH funding from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute.
May 25, 2012
May 25, 2012
May 25, 2012
Is it bad that
- It’s 5:30am
- The sun is coming up. No actually the sun is pretty much totally above the horizon.
- I have not gone to bed
- I need to get up in 3 hours and go to the gym
Yes it is bad. I will just answermyowndamnquestion
Oh and I’ve had 3 gin and sodas in the past… 6 hours? nevermindthemargarita+countlessbeersearlierintheeveningshouldthisbeanewtagorwhat?
Hey the liver needs exercise too
May 25, 2012
May 24, 2012
May 24, 2012
May 24, 2012
May 23, 2012
May 23, 2012
May 23, 2012
After The Mona Lisa 8, 2010, by Devorah Sperber.
After The Mona Lisa 8 is constructed from 1482 larger spools of thread so the image resolution is very low. Yet when seen through a viewing sphere, the thread spools condense into a recognizable image, conveying how little information the brain needs to make sense of visual imagery it has already been exposed to.
At first glance, the thread spool installation appears to be a random arrangement of spools of thread. A clear acrylic sphere placed in front of the work, shrinks and condenses the thread spool “pixels” into a recognizable image while also rotating the imagery 180 degrees like the human eye. This shift in perception functions as a dramatic mechanism to present the idea that there is no one truth or reality, emphasizing subjective reality vs. an absolute truth.
I am interested in the link between art, science, and technology, how the eyes and brain prioritize, and reality as a subjective experience vs. an absolute truth. As a visual artist, I cannot think of a topic more stimulating and yet so basic, than the act of seeing—how the human brain makes sense of the visual world.
May 23, 2012
Turning Children’s Drawings to Toys by Child’s Own Studio
Remember all that crazy shit you drew as a kid? True story: when I was but a wee lad I was fond of drawing bones with wings on them. There was a whole family of them. Why? Who the hell knows, kids are weird! But how awesome would have been if a cool company like this existed: where they take children’s drawings and convert them to real world toys. Maybe one day my Flying Bones with faces can get the same treatment. Check out tons more at their flickr
Artists: website (via: todayilearned / io9)
(via charlyneyi)
