Major
Biology
Anticipated Graduation Year
2024
Access Type
Open Access
Abstract
As We Emerge
2022
Cynthia Nguyen
American
Class of 2024
Pastel and charcoal on paper
When most people think of bacteria, they imagine something revolting or gross. Maybe you’ve taken a loaf of bagged white bread from the refrigerator and found something white and fuzzy growing on it. In these instances, bacteria are a nuisance that makes life slightly more inconvenient. Although bacteria can be damaging in cases like this, bacteria are good many other times. It might also be surprising to find beauty in bacteria, specifically its growth morphology. In certain strains of E. Coli, their growth morphology resembles flowers. The flower patterns are incredibly intricate and detailed, and they do not look like what you think of as typical bacteria. Various forms, colors, and textures of bacteria are depicted across the petri dish in the drawing. This depiction aims to show the beauty of the mechanisms of bacteria growth. E. Coli reproduces by binary fission, and it is unique to see how nature can be programmed to produce these beautiful and fascinating colonies.
In the drawing, a woman’s face is covered by growing bacteria. This shows how humans coexist with all kinds of life, including bacteria- something we don’t typically see every day. We often forget about our cohabitation with other living organisms and only recognize it when something like a piece of bread gets contaminated. We are so engulfed in our anthropocentric environment that we forget that bacteria vastly outnumber us. Eukaryotic cells, which humans are made of, evolved from bacteria and have a shared ancestry. This drawing strives to appreciate our cohabitation with bacteria and demonstrate the importance and beauty of bacteria.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.
As We Emerge
As We Emerge
2022
Cynthia Nguyen
American
Class of 2024
Pastel and charcoal on paper
When most people think of bacteria, they imagine something revolting or gross. Maybe you’ve taken a loaf of bagged white bread from the refrigerator and found something white and fuzzy growing on it. In these instances, bacteria are a nuisance that makes life slightly more inconvenient. Although bacteria can be damaging in cases like this, bacteria are good many other times. It might also be surprising to find beauty in bacteria, specifically its growth morphology. In certain strains of E. Coli, their growth morphology resembles flowers. The flower patterns are incredibly intricate and detailed, and they do not look like what you think of as typical bacteria. Various forms, colors, and textures of bacteria are depicted across the petri dish in the drawing. This depiction aims to show the beauty of the mechanisms of bacteria growth. E. Coli reproduces by binary fission, and it is unique to see how nature can be programmed to produce these beautiful and fascinating colonies.
In the drawing, a woman’s face is covered by growing bacteria. This shows how humans coexist with all kinds of life, including bacteria- something we don’t typically see every day. We often forget about our cohabitation with other living organisms and only recognize it when something like a piece of bread gets contaminated. We are so engulfed in our anthropocentric environment that we forget that bacteria vastly outnumber us. Eukaryotic cells, which humans are made of, evolved from bacteria and have a shared ancestry. This drawing strives to appreciate our cohabitation with bacteria and demonstrate the importance and beauty of bacteria.