In a British competition, science turns into art to get closer to the public

Dec 6, 2012 09:38 GMT  ·  By

The microscopic close-up of a human intestine with snowflakes added on top of it is intended to bring science closer to the masses in the magic time of Christmas, University of Bristol researchers report.

The “labstract” piece of art representing the impression of an intestinal wall resembling a group of Christmas trees is this year's winner of an annual University of Bristol competition.

The work was created by two researchers from the School of Cellular and Molecular Medicine – Dr. Alex Greenhough and Prof. Paloma Ordonez Moran.

“The image is of cells that make up intestinal tissue,” Dr. Greenhough explained, as cited by Daily Mail.

“It shows that although we scientists are very serious about our research and committed to understanding cancer, we also have a sense of humor - and are normal humans beings.”

By turning science into art, researchers are trying to take their work out of the narrow circle of scientists and make it more accessible to the public. Fairly commendable, I'd say.