Dope art that makes you feel good
Posted: Fri Sep 10, 2010 6:21 pm
Dope art that makes you feel good
New Scientist | Short Sharp Science | 10 Sept 2010
New Scientist | Short Sharp Science | 10 Sept 2010
Not space art, but definitely spacey art. I guess a chemical that makes you feel good should be spacey.This beautiful micrograph shows crystals of dopamine - the chemical released when we do naturally rewarding things like eating and procreating. Dopamine also affects brain processes involved in controlling movement, mood and memory.
Spike Walker, last night's winner of the Royal Photographic Society's Combined Royal Colleges Medal, produced this image by passing polarised light through dopamine crystals. How the crystals refract the light varies depending on their orientation within the sample, causing them to reflect light at different wavelengths. Using this technique highlights more detail in the crystal structure than regular observation through a microscope.
