I first saw the image bellow posted on facebook by the eminent neurologist Oliver Sacks.
'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.
- inspired in the work of Ernst Haeckel
