Live drawings

Paintings of glowing bacteria

Anatoly Alizar, Giktimes

Science brings practical benefits and moves humanity along the road of knowledge, but at the same time it is great for creating unusual works of art. For example, at the World Science Festival in Brisbane (Australia), artists showed paintings painted not with pencil or paint, but with living material: marine bacteria of the species Aliivibrio fischeri, which live in the bioluminescence organ of Hawaiian squid – septoloids.

Instead of a canvas, the microbiologist artist uses a large Petri dish (or several rectangular pallets put together, as in the picture from the website worldsciencefestival.com.au – VM), in which microorganisms live. In the dark, these colonies of bacteria look especially impressive.

"This bacterium is found in a tiny squid measuring only 3 centimeters. It lives in their organ of bioluminescence, in a large convex part under the trunk," explains microbiologist Siouxsie Wiles from the University of Auckland, curator of the exhibition at the Queensland Museum.

The septoloid is nocturnal. Lighting from below is a clever move by which he eliminates his shadow while hunting in shallow water in the moonlight.

The bacteria live on the "canvas" for several days until they run out of nutrients.

Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru  15.03.2016