One of the most frustrating things about working in biomedical research is the inability to translate infinitely small processes into something both visually meaningful and easy to digest.
Within every cell of our bodies is a chaotic symphony of molecular and chemical interactions that are difficult or impossible to see with the naked eye. Scientists rely on experimental ’snapshots’ to give them an idea of what’s happening at the microscopic level. Then they work backwards, reconstructing a sequence of events from these rather abstract clues.
The field of biomedical animation helps us to visualize what can never be observed by the naked eye. Animators take the scientist’s mental model of events and render out a real-time 3D visual representation. With the advent of cheaper and faster computers, biomedical animators are producing startlingly life-like animations that rival those found in Hollywood movies (often with a soundtrack to match). Below are three beautiful examples that caught my eye.
Which biomedical animations have caught your eye? Post your favorites in the comments.
Also check out:
Scitimes Video: How the Flu Virus Jumps Species (my own attempt at 2D biomedical animation)
Tags: fun
