Super Mario bacteria

If you could engineer bio-luminescent bacteria to glow certain colors, don't try to tell me you wouldn't try to create Mario's iconic Super Mario Bros sprite.

Let's say you were a member of a team that entered the International Genetically Engineered Machine competition (iGEM), and were given the task of creating art with biological components - specifically, luminescent bacterial cultures. What would you do?

If you were a member of the team from the nanobiology laboratories at the University of Osaka, apparently you would shape said bacteria into the iconic sprite of the world's most famous plumber, as seen here. The bacteria are genetically engineered to "express fluorescent proteins and carotenoid pigments to create works of art," which is fancy science talk for "They make the bacteria glow pretty colors."

The New Scientist has some more of the pieces, and while some of them are mind-blowingly gorgeous and impressive (I'm particular to the photo of Albert Einstein), none of them are Mario. So clearly, the Osakans win.

The sands of Mars

I've not been very good this month with posting stuff, so am going to post a bit more stuff towards the end of the month.

This fantastic photo looks like liquid running, but is in fact a satalite picture of sand dunes on Mars. Nice! :)

Small

Micro versus Macro

The Universe and everything in it is governed by maths. Geometric shapes are seen both at a molecular level, and at a level measured in light-years. Yet they are the same shapes.

Ah, Maths! :D

No place on Earth

I was struck with more than a passing resemblance between these photos.

The first is of ice melting on sand dunes at the Martian pole. The dark spots are sand which doesn't reflect as much light as the water ice from the winter months.

The second* is of the banks of the Dead Sea in Jordon. I remember from my trips to Israel and Jordan that the landscape of the Negev Desert really looked like no place on earth.

It seems it(3) bears more of a resemblance to Mars(4).

:)

* I'm not too proud to nick a nice photo, Alexander! Thank you ;)

Big Game Hunting

The title says it all.