When Scientists Get Accidentally Artsy

When Scientists Get Accidentally Artsy
April 3, 2012
by Claire O'Neill - NPR

Smithsonian museum specialist Sandra Raredon has been making radiographs, or X-ray images, for some 25 years. And although she doesn't necessarily consider herself an artist, per se, she's not surprised to see her work on display in that context. "I wanted people to see that they're not only scientific, but they're beautiful as well," she says on the phone.

Credit: Sandra J. Raredon/National Museum of Natural History/Smithsonian Institution.

A new exhibit at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History lies right at the intersection of art and science, showcasing the inherent beauty of skeletons — that is, fish skeletons.

Before the invention of X-rays, the only way to study a creature's insides was by dissection. X-rays are a quicker, cleaner and nondestructive way to learn about diet, growth and evolution. The exhibit, currently in Washington, D.C., will be traveling the country until 2015. But hey, as long as you're near a computer, check out these interactive exterior-interior photos in Smithsonian magazine.

FILMS:

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/What-You-See-When-You-Turn-a-Fish-Inside-Out.html?c=y&page=1&navigation=previous#IMAGES