informed by nature.org

Every year, the Nikon Small World Photomicrography competition proves that smaller is no less beautiful. This year's deadline to submit is April 30th. All photos are taken with a light microscope, not painted or illustrated. This is science, folks!

2005 winner (House fly) by Charles Krebs

2001 winner (Fresh water rotifer feeding on debris) by Harold Taylor

2002 winner (Cross Section of Rat Cerebellum) by Thomas J. Deerink

2007 winner (Transgenic mouse) by Gloria Kwon

See more at Nikon Small World Competition

Katrina Edwards is a professor of biological sciences and Earth sciences in USC College. She is also the director of the National Science Foundation supported Center for Dark Energy Biosphere Investigations in Los Angeles.

1.  What do you love about science and why? 

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Susana Salazar is a data analyst, programmer, and mathematician. In addition to her left-brained endeavors, Susana is a fine art painter specializing in portraits. 

1.  What do you love about science and why? 

I use mathematical sciences every day at my job. The thing I love the most about math, and other sciences alike, is the challenge of figuring out exactly how creative ideas and questions may be answered within the logical constraints of the mathematical framework. I use mathematical models & statistical models every day in order to get real business answers and in order to get real results. But creating those models takes a large amount of creative effort. Science is the medium through which my creativity can transform a business. 

2. What got you interested in science?

I recall always being interested in science. I've always enjoyed the challenge of finding an answer and I've always enjoyed expanding my knowledge. With that said, I remember being a high school senior attending "Math Day" at UCLA's Institute for Pure & Applied Mathematics (IPAM). After hearing professors present their very cool research, I knew science would continue to play a role in my life. Re...
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The Fifth Feeling: Episode 1 - watch more funny videos     

Informed by Nature advisor Clifford Johnson, wonderfully creative theoretical physicist at USC, just sent me this hilarious little video series, written and directed by his friend Amy French. It’s a spoof of a science show, detailing how the flavor known as umami is linked with human happiness (commissioned by Umami burger, a restaurant chain.) It’s funny, but not meant to be serious science.

This wacky video reminds me of a more serious concept that’s been on my mind a lot over the past several years: I think humor is an undervalued way to get people into science. Or anything, for that matter. Not...
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Mya Stark was raised as an actor and trained as a writer. Later she directed some films and edited a magazine. Now she co-curates public art gallery Mastodon Mesa, and and works as a consultant in nonprofit management for clients including The Cinefamily.

1.  What do you love about science and why? 

 I love science. If I could, I would kiss it and marry it. First step though, I love the natural world. For example, grass. Have you ever really looked at that shit? With the sun shining through it and all?  Damn.  At times it's nearly impossible to get out of the yard without dying of joy.

Science, is the technique that lets us experience that beauty in ever greater breadth and depth. The more you delve into the details of what things are made of, and the more wide-ranging stuff you discover about different forms of life and how they live, the more dizzying the beauty becomes.

2. What got you interested in science?

I'm grateful that I was raised in a home where my dad was an engineer, so I learned from an early age what science actually is (just a way of learning ab...
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David Ng is a geneticist, science literacy academic, writer, and faculty based at the Michael Smith Laboratories at the University of British Columbia. You can find out more about his dabblings at http://popperfont.net and you can follow him on twitter @ng_dave.

1.  What do you love about science and why? 

I love science because it is both awesome and relevant.  In fact, I even have a t-shirt that expresses part of that equation. 

Most awesome is that sensation you feel when you discover something - whether it is for the first time ever, or whether it’s in the sense that it’s novel only to you.  That feeling, that corporal buzz, that lift in your metaphorical heart, is simply intoxicating.  It’s why I often think that science is really just a very special form of creativity.  It might use a different palette of tools, and it might consider the concept of beauty in an unconventional way, but it’s a creative endeavor nevertheless. 

I also love science, because I feel quite passionate about its importance in everyday life.  ...
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Kanad Das is a polymer chemist and program manager of SPARK, Stanford University School of Medicine. SPARK aims to“help academicians overcome the obstacles involved in moving research innovations from bench to bedside.”

1.  What do you love about science and why? 

 I love science because it lets me understand the world around me. Being a scientist is fulfilling because of the 'aha' moments, when one result or one way to analyze some data crystallizes your understanding of a problem. Let me give you an example: I was learning about chemical bonding for the first time and was reading my text book in bed. I read about bond valency, and let out a deep breath. That moment, I understood the true difference between the oxygen, nitrogen, hydrogen, and carbon in my breath versus those exact elements in the blanket. I was hooked. It made me want to learn more and I decided to study chemistry.

2. What got you interested in science?

My family was full of scientists. My dad respected Nobel Laureates more than Presidents, claiming that science was a pure pursuit of knowledge. That always resonated with me, finding peace and joy in a career. 

3. What could we be doing to encourage science literacy and a positive image of science in our...
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