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        astronomy-art_b_3748900.html The importance of art in space exploration is most evident in early astronomers and their research. Early astronomers often had backgrounds as artists because of how necessary these artistic skills were to early space research.  Before the development of more sophisticated cameras, the only way to capture the wonders of space that astronomers viewed through early telescopes was to draw or paint it (Livio).  This type of art has fed the public’s interest in astronomy since the Renaissance era. This interest influenced many successful cinematic ventures in the early 20th century such as A Trip to the Moon (1902) and  Flash Gordon (1936) which first displayed the ideas of space travel and life outside of Earth on the screen (Anderson).  Star Wars: Episode IV: A New Hope  I was previously unaware of how much this early interest in space themed movies influenced the space age in the United States...

45 best NaNo Art images on Pinterest | Beleza, Art and Art prints         As the availability of nanotechnology increases, the applications of these products have begun to expand beyond scientific fields and into the artistic world. Many different artists have already taken on the task of working with this increasingly popular technology with exhibits such as “Nano” which was developed here at UCLA in 2003. This exhibit explored how the atom could be displayed as art which challenges the popular mindset that “seeing is believing” since this material can only be viewed with the aid of advanced technology (Lovgren).  url One aspect of this new type of “nanoart” that presents a challenge to any artist who attempts to create it is the technology required to view these microscopic materials. To create these pieces, artists require advanced microscopes and cameras and that is just to capture the matter, to manipulate or work with them would be an even gr...

Brain scans show physical signs of depression | Spectator Health          The field of neuroscience has always been one that becomes increasing more abstract and unpredictable the more it is explored. The human brain is one of the most sophisticated machines that scientists are capable of studying up close and because of this it has become an interest to many of those outside of the immediate family of neuroscientists. An understanding of the structure and function of the brain is integral to numerous different fields because the way we think determines what we do, how we feel, the things we say and so much more. This fascination has also extended itself into the artistic community because of how integral our brains are in the way we are able to perceive and process art and in the way we are able to conceptualize and create it.  Greg Dunn Design – Visual Art | Neuroscience Art | Gold Leaf Painting Artists have long expressed their fascination wi...

Before reading this week’s resources, I had never thought of bioengineering as an artistic medium. It seemed to risky and controversial to be used in such a way. One artist that supported my original view was Eduardo Kac, whose bioluminescent bunny caused a pretty heated debate amongst animal rights activists on whether scientific testing and genetic manipulation for the purpose of art is inhumane and the more I looked into his story the more I started to agree with the activists rather than the artists.  Nature and life is one of the most influential subjects for artists so it seems fitting that eventually life itself would transcend the limits of being a subject and venture towards the possibility of becoming a medium. However, when thinking about the risk versus reward, the negative outcomes of animal trials and other biotechnological testing usually far outweigh the benefits even in the pursuit of scientific discovery. So to make the case for the purpose of artistic e...

           I really enjoyed attending the Leonardo Art Science Evening Rendezvous this past week. It was a really educational and fascinating experience. Going into it, i did not know what to expect but the different topics the speakers presented were all incredibly unique and many of them were completely unfamiliar to me. i really enjoyed the fact that most of the presenters were still in the process of doing their research or creating their art because the way they were talking about it really showed how passionate and invested they were and I feel like with art, that passion isn’t always highlighted or tangible in the final product but it is such an invaluable part of the scientific and artistic process. The one that fascinated me the most was the scientist who presented his research on light pollution. I had previously been pretty ignorant when it came to this topic and did not fully realize how impactful our abundant use of artificial light is on t...

            Once again, this week’s lectures and resources showed how art influences and aids the progress of science, specifically in the area of medicine. Before modern technology the earliest studies of anatomy relied heavily on art. Many scientists in history have had to develop sophisticated artistic skills in order to accurately depict their research findings before the invention of modern tools such as x-rays and high definition cameras. However, once this technology was developed, this partnership between art and medical advancement became much more codependent as artists began to employ the use of medical devices such as MRIs in order to create their art. This allowed artists to examine and develop a new technique of depicting a person and redefine the concept of a “portrait”.  Previously a person’s likeness was consistently represented by an illustration or photograph of their face or body but this new technology allowed ...