Image courtesy of Hao Liu

In a recent news announcement, researchers demonstrated that it may be possible to read DNA sequences by passing a single strand of DNA through a 1 to 2 nanometer diameter carbon nanotube. By doing this, they propose that we will be able to read sequences much faster than the current method. Is that awesome science or what?

So why is it that such a cool concept, and one that can be easily visualized, gets such work-a-day treatment? Surely publishers, university public relations departments, and even scientists with big NIH grants can afford to hire professional artists to dress things up from time to time. I’m not picking on this particular graphic, or Mr. Hao Liu’s respectable effort to bring some excitement to the visualization of an important concept, but how many times are we going to have to look at out-of-the-can garish molecular graphics like this? I think we actually lose people’s attention by showing them stuff like this. We cannot expect scientists to always have the best artistic judgment, but surely there are people in university public relations departments and among the editors at Science and Nature who have a vision for what could be done. Big peer reviewed publications have graphics supplied by scientists or artists working with scientists long in advance of publication (and they get to use this art for free!) So, c’mon folks, hire a professional science visualizer once in a while. You’ll improve your look, attract the attention of people that might otherwise not be interested, and keep some hungry artists fed.

To get an idea of how to knock a molecular graphic out of the park, check out Kenneth Eward’s web site at http://www.kenneth-eward.com/. Here’s just one example of how he does DNA.

© Kenneth Eward