Sick: Candice Coust's knitted anatomy

Candace Coust is a Calgary-based mixed-media artist whose recent work has involved knitting anatomical works including full bodies, pulled apart at the threads and this stop-motion video of a faciful voyage through our mysterious innards.

Candice describes Sick as 'a fanciful, endoscopic journey through the knitted body that is violently disrupted by the discovery of a malignant malady'.

The human body as a tube map

You're gonna have to click this one to make it big. soz.

The Human Body as  Subway System by Sam Loman

Another old classic that has made its way around the cyberverse* is this map of the inner workings of the human body in the style of a tube map (or subway to my readers from across the pond).

Illustrated by Sam Loman, it depicts the arterial, digestive, musculoskeletal and five other systems with junctions where they intertwine, for example the kidney and the heart.

It's pretty, no doubt and it contains 8 of the 11 human systems. But... It does not include the integumentary system (skin, hair, nails), reproductive or endocrine systems; it includes only the central nervous system and not the peripheral nervous system; and there are junctions where there is no meeting of systems, for example at the humerous and radius. However, I don't think Sam intended the map to be used in a biology exam.

It's a visual metaphor and looks awesome so lets not get picky about the details.

*Sometimes I like to try and think of as many words for internet as possible.

Bombay Bicycle Club's anatomical cover art

I caught a glimpse of a poster whilst rushing for the jubilee line today and fell just a little bit in love with an artist. It was for the new Bombay Bicycle club album, A Different Kind of Fix, and the cover (below) is an artistic impression of the brain, oesophagus and nasal passage.

I came home to research the artisit and found that it is by illustrator Katie Scott. On her blog she also has photos of the album interior (below) which I think is also beautiful and can imagine similar prints adorning the walls of my new flat!

Katie has amassed an eclectic collection of anatomical and nature-themed illustrations, some intended to be more accurate interpretations than others. I particularly like the intricate detail in her work and her subtle use of colour. There are loads of illustrations to look through on her blog or website and you can also show your support for her work or see what she's up to by following her on twitter.

Katie Scott at her Degree Show in Brighton in June

Did the Victorians get the sci-art mix perfect?

Eric Schmidt giving the
annual MacTaggart lecture

The Guardian this week brought us all the action from the MediaGuardian Edinburgh International Television Festival, including a hard-hitting lecture from Eric Schmidt, chairman of Google, who delivered a scathing critique of the UK education system at the annual MacTaggart lecture. Eric spoke of it's failure to make the most of the country's record of innovation in computing and engineering (having invented the TV, photography and the computer both in thoery and practice) and highlighted the lack of support for bringing the sciences and arts back together in schools.

While Eric has since recieved criticism for drawing 'naive conclusions', he has also generated support for his back-to-the-abacus way of thinking. Schmidt said:

'Over the past century, the UK has stopped nurturing its polymaths. You need to bring art and science back together. [The Victorian era] was a time when the same people wrote poetry and built bridges - Lewis Carroll didn't just write one of the classic fairytales of all time. He was also a mathematics tutor at Oxford. James Clerk Maxwell was described by Einstein as among the best physicists since Newton – but was also a published poet.'

Lewis Carroll

The Guardian article generated some interesting discussion in the comments section and while they are by no means all positive, it is good to see people talking about what is important in schools and debating whether it is possible or necesary to return to a Victorian-style education system.

The Guardian collated some of the most well-informed comments in a follow-up article if you're interested. It's great to see the Guardian picking up interest in bridging the arts and sciences divide.

Guitar oscillations caught on an iPhone 4

Kyle Jones happened upon this trick when curious to see what filming from inside his guitar looked like. The effect you see is due to the rolling shutter and is not representative of the way strings really oscillate. It's fascinating and definitely a try-it-home trick.

Mesmerising pendulum

Fifteen uncoupled simple pendulums of monotonically increasing lengths dance together to produce visual traveling waves, standing waves, beating, and (seemingly) random motion - from NatSciDemos on youtube



A pendulum is made up of a weight suspended on a rod, string or wire. When the weight or bob is moved and let go, the pendulum will swing back and forth in a regular periodic motion. The affect of gravity on the bob results in a very predictable periodic motion. The length of the string/rod determines the frequency of its swing - Pendulums have been used in clocks for hundreds of years, because the motion is so regular.

Here's a pretty awesome UV version from brusspup on youtube (who has some other cool videos)

Another beautiful nebula from NASA

Another post from NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day that made me sit for a second and absorb the universe's awesomeness in all it's dutsy, ripped-from-a-sci-fi-movie glory.

Sometimes called the Iris Nebula, due to its porpensity to evoke floral imagery, these clouds of interstellar dust and gas have "blossomed 1,300 light-years away in the fertile star fields of the constellation Cepheus".