Did We Kill Them?

Microcosms (2023)

linocuts on colored paper

(diatom species pictured: Stauroneis acuta, Pleurosigma inflatum, Triceratium pentacrinus, Actinoptychus heliopelta)

a super macro

this might be a stupid question, but if theres a protein that multiple organisms need, wouldn't the a t g c genetic code for it be the same for different species? or at least closely related species? so theoretically some prompts/sequences should have multiple fitting organisms or closest fitting organisms

(i know it isn't this simple, but im wondering what the exact reason it doesn't work like that is, or what im missing)

not a stupid question, i'll try to answer it to the best of my understanding, but if anyone has anything to add, please do.

put shortly: you're right! if multiple organisms need a certain protein, the code in their DNA is generally the same in that region.

from a genetics perspective, all organisms are actually extremely similar. i'm sure you've heard that we humans share more than half our genetic information with bananas and such.

this is just a factor of how evolution works. every so often, a mutation occurs in an organism's genome, which has a chance to increase the fitness of that organism, which allows it to have more offspring, which changes the mix of alleles in the population. and this is how we get different species of things.

but, because we all share a common ancestor from a long, long, long, long time ago, we do maintain some similarities, especially in regions that code for things essential to life.

those regions where things are *different* is where we're able to tell one species from another, differentiating moths from trees and such. but, overall, all living organisms have a whole lot in common.

diatom- any member of a large group comprising several genera of algea, specifically microalgea, found in oceans, waterways, and soils of the world. there's something beautiful about the little details of the world.

pixie’s parasol (Mycena interrupta), one of my favourites!

Coelastrum, a microalgae. 

Petri Dishes

Although they are scientific I think they make really cool art pieces i like to use them as reference images when practicing how to use colored pencils

Microbe masterpiece by Mehmet Berkmen and Maria Penil

Hiiii!!

Could you guys please vote for my agar art in this contest? 🌿🌸

It would mean the world to me 🥹

Lamproderma scintillans on the edge of a leaf via andysandsphotography