Science, Art, Evolution and imagining life: Alexander Semenov, Ernst Haeckel and Darwin

I first saw the image bellow posted on facebook by the eminent neurologist Oliver Sacks. 

Photograph of a Sea Angle by Alexander Semenov

'What a great digital artwork,' I thought to myself, as it reminded me of characters from Japanese cartoons I’d seen; like an aquatic Pokemon. But no, it is a photograph of a living creature called a sea angel taken by Alexander Semenov. It is one of the many beautiful images he has captured of bizarre, wonderful creatures that exist below the surfaces of our seas. Semenov is a brilliant photographer as well as a marine biologist. He is just one of many scientist who delve into artistic endeavours to elucidate the marvels of his discoveries. Throughout history science and art have merged to create a bigger picture of our reality. In many circumstances, it has been by means of this merging that our fascination is drawn more deeply into the nature of life. 

The images of the Hubbell telescope, rendered in artistic detail play no small part in broadening our interest and understanding of what is beyond our planet.

In the 19th and 20th centuries Ernst Haeckel created magnificent drawings of a rarely seen diversity of life under the seas and above land are. As well as a brilliant artist Haeckel was a biologist, naturalist, philosopher, physician and Darwinist. His detailed representations of living organisms are a testament to the importance of image in understanding. They, furthermore, stand alone as breathtakingly beautiful pictures to feast the eye upon. If, at the same time, we recognise that they are representations of life on our planet I, for one, am thrown into awe: they inspire me to imagination.

Drawings of microscopic life 

by Ernst Haeckel

Darwin also used drawings to illustrate his ideas. Not as an accomplished artists as Haeckel but still capable. Through his drawings the fundamental concepts of evolution become more clear. By looking at the work of Haeckel and Semenov we can see to what extent evolution is capable of reaching. 

Charles Darwin's drawing of finches, 

illustrating the evolutionary links between different types

It is becoming less and less questionable whether life exists beyond Earth. The overwhelming consensus is that it must. Still we are, seemingly,  barely aware of the extent of diversity of life we share this planet with. Still, not knowing what all exists on our own planet, we are capable of imagining life that may exist beyond; or that we may even play a hand in creating. As our societies change and technology develops, evolution may be shifting away from natural selection’s survival of the fittest to new kinds of life specialised by human inclinations. But we mustn't forget that as much as we affect nature, it will affect us.

Drawing by Timothy B Layden of imagine life 

- inspired in the work of Ernst Haeckel

The shape and taste of sound: the phenomena of synaesthesia

The Man who tasted shapes by Mark Lazenby

Imagine the taste of the letter R, the smell of the colour indigo or the shape of a sound. Maybe you don’t have to imagine it. Perhaps these ideas are perfectly normal for you. The shape of sounds, well yes, of course, I say. I love the shape of bass notes. They are like big, shiny, round beach stones. When bass sounds oscillate and vibrate those rounded stones spin and sometimes break apart into smaller shapes.

My friend James Wannerton tastes sounds. When his dog barks he tastes caramel and the sound of the name “Derek” tastes of Earwax.

I used to assume that everyone had a visual/tactile experienced of sound. Later I learned that this is not the case. I was shocked. I realise that sometimes people are shocked that I experience the shape of sounds. I can’t imagine how a dog bark can taste for James.

There are a lot of things that don’t have names. The names of things come about by people experiencing them and telling each other about them; occasionally something official happens and new words get published in dictionaries.

I remember the first time I heard the word synaesthesia.  I was at a party telling a friend of mine about the shapes and textures of the sounds of the music we were listening to. “That’s synaesthesia,” My friend said.

“Synae what?” I responded.

Then he explained to me that synaesthesia was when the senses combine, “If you can see music,” he told me “you are experiencing synaesthesia.”

My friend told me he had found the word in a medical dictionary.  I took his word for it but didn’t think much about it. “OK,” I thought, “synaesthesia sounds pretty normal to me then.”  I figured there were all sort of fanciful medical terms for things we think and do.

There are many different points of view regarding the causes and reasons for synaesthesia.  One of the best accounts of research into synaesthesia is a book called The Man Who Tasted Shapes by Richard E Cytowic. First published in 1993, this was perhaps the first popular account of synaesthesia making many people with synaesthesia more aware of their own experiences. One synesthete (a person with synaesthesia), who has beautifully described her own experience, is Patircia Duffy in her book entitled Blue Cats and Chartreuse Kittens. Organisations now exist dedicated to the further understanding of synaesthesia: e. g.  The Artecitta Foundation, The American SynesthesiaAssociation and The UK Synaesthesia Association.

Synaesthesia can tell us about the brain, the mind and consciousness. There are phenomenal people whose brains function in unique ways in combination with synaesthesia: e.g. Jason Padgett sees mathematical patterns everywhere he goes and the shapes Daniel Tammet sees for numbers, letters and concepts have helped him break the bank in a Las Vegas casino and learn Icelandic in a day.  As our science and humanity develop we may have an opportunity to self evolve and begin making decisions about what kind of animals we really want to be.

It is possible that some of the knowledge we are gaining through research into conditions such as synaesthesia will help us tap into some of the most amazing possibilities of the human brain. May we also not forget to appreciate the unexpected and inexplicable oddities of conscious awareness.