The Scientist As Illustrator

TREIMM 1262 No. of Pages 4 Special Issue: and technology. Leonardo's careful study of visual communicators as it ever was Communicating Science of human anatomy and interest in propor- in the past. tions was demonstrated in the Vitruvian Scientific Life man, one of his most famous drawings. Drawing to Understand In molecular and cellular biology, our The Scientist as With the rise of the printing press, scien- understanding of processes is typically Illustrator tists could reach a larger audience with based on experimental data that are indi- whom they could share their findings. In rect, abstract, and collected by different [1_TD$IF] 1, Sidereus Nuncius, Galileo Galilei was the laboratories using an assortment of tech- Janet H. Iwasa * first to publish observations made using a niques over the course of decades. To telescope. A polymath who excelled in understand processes that are taking fi Pro ciency in art and illustration astronomy, mathematics, and physics, place at scales smaller than the wave- was once considered an essential Galileo had also studied medicine and length of light, biologists must synthesize skill for biologists, because text had once considered a career in painting diverse data to generate a working model alone often could not suffice to [1]. His manuscript included over 70 or hypothesis. In contrast with scientists of describe observations of biological detailed illustrations, including the first the past, we must rely on visualizations not systems. With modern imaging realistic depictions of the craggy and pit- to record and share our observations, but technology, it is no longer neces- ted surface of the moon. Around 50 years to create and communicate our sary to illustrate what we can see later, Robert Hooke, a polymath scientist deductions. by eye. However, in molecular and who had also trained to be an artist in his youth, published a book detailing his We might be interested, for example, in a cellular biology, our understanding observations of ‘minute bodies’, including protein that we know from genetic analy- of biological processes is depen- a flea and the point of a needle, made ses to have an important role in commu- dent on our ability to synthesize through a microscope. With numerous nication between different immune cells in diverse data to generate a hypoth- large, intricate illustrations, Micrographia specific tissues. Light microscopy data esis. Creating visual models of became a bestseller and is credited for show that this protein is localized primarily these hypotheses is important for inspiring a new generation of microscop- at the plasma membrane, and changes its generating new ideas and for com- ists and biologists. localization dynamically over the course of municating to our peers and to the the cell cycle. From biochemical studies, public. Here, I discuss the benefits For centuries, the ability to create detailed we know that this protein has several of creating visual models in molec- illustrations continued to be an important binding partners and a specific catalytic ular and cellular biology and con- way for scientists to communicate their activity, and X-ray crystallography studies fi sider steps to enable researchers ndings and hypotheses with their peers. have provided a detailed understanding of Santiago Ramón y Cajal, widely considered the structure of protein domains that to become more effective visual to be the father of modern neuroscience, appear important for its function. To make communicators. drafted hundreds of detailed drawings of sense of these disparate data, it is neces- neurons and neural tissues over his sary for researchers to take up the role of A Historical Perspective research career, many of which are still the storyteller, synthesizing the known From looking through the history of sci- used as references in modern neurobiology information to develop an explanation of ence, it might seem that being a polymath textbooks. His observations and meticu- how and why. While some elements of the (excelling in the arts as well as the scien- lous drawings brought about a paradigm story may be fully described using only ces) was a major criteria for success. This shift, convincing many of his colleagues text, information that is visual in nature, was likely due to the fact that scientific that the neural system comprised individual including molecular structure, dynamics, progress depended heavily on not only interconnected cells rather than a continu- stoichiometry, and localization, is more scientists’ powers of observation and ous membranous network. easily and accurately described using deduction, but also their talent at illustra- illustrations. tion. It follows that many acclaimed scien- With the rise of imaging technology, it is no tists in history were also highly skilled longer necessary for researchers to take Creating visualizations can serve numer- artists and draftsmen. Perhaps the most up a pen or paintbrush to record and ous purposes. At their most basic level, famous is Leonardo da Vinci, the quintes- share their observations. However, I visualizations help us to better understand sential ‘Renaissance man’, who made would argue that scientific progress a new idea. The act of creating a quick, important contributions in art, science, remains just as dependent on the skills rough sketch can be a creative and Trends in Immunology, Month Year, Vol. xx, No. yy 1 TREIMM 1262 No. of Pages 4 exploratory process, allowing us to refine When constructing a public-friendly edito- a molecular or anatomical structure [4])or a hypothesis and develop new lines of rial illustration, I often consider creating even play an animation within a published questioning. Many decisions must be visual metaphors as well as providing a manuscript using the standard Adobe made when committing an idea that pre- broader biological context that might help Acrobat PDF reader [5]. The use of 2D viously existed only in one's mind to a viewers to better understand the scientific and 3D animations has also exploded over visually rendered form. What do the pro- story. To accompany a story on bacterial the past decade, first primarily within the teins look like, and how do they fit together iron piracy [3], my collaborators and I context of educational and outreach to form a complex? What are the steps worked on two illustrations, one showing efforts, but now increasingly within the that are needed to complete the process? a pirate map with the structures of the research sphere as well [6]. Creating ani- What data do we need to be able to draw relevant proteins as islands (Figure 1C), mated or digital 3D models of dynamic a clearer picture? an example of a visual metaphor, and biological processes often require special- another illustration showing biological ized training and a significant time commit- Another major role of visualizations is to context, in this case, the proteins at the ment, but recent software developments communicate our hypotheses to our surface of a bacterium contextualized (some of which are discussed in greater peers. Examples of these types of illustra- within the bloodstream (Figure 1D). detail in recent articles [7,8]) can help to tion are the model figure [2], which is significantly decrease the learning curve. commonly presented as the last figure Through a variety of public-facing venues, of a paper, as well as the ‘graphical including lectures, books, and social and Training Scientists to be Visual abstract’ that some journals now request. mass media outlets, a compelling image Communicators In an idealized form, these illustrations has the potential to inspire and influence There is a great need for biologists to should efficiently and quickly communi- broad swathes of the science-curious become better visual communicators. All cate a complex idea, and also be aestheti- public. Social media sites, such as Twitter too often, I have seen researchers use cally pleasing. I emphasize the importance and Facebook, are becoming an increas- ‘recycled’ or ‘borrowed’ model figures of aesthetics here because an illustration ingly important means to communicate as the sole visual means of conveying their that is pleasing to look at will naturally scientific findings to the public in a timely specific hypothesis. While these illustra- encourage our peers to spend a longer and direct way. Studies have shown that tions may have worked well for the context time studying it, which will, in turn, the inclusion of an image or video can for which they were originally designed, increase their understanding of, and drive up viewer engagement dramaticallyi, they often fail to communicate the nuan- appreciation for, the subject. especially where posts or entries are lim- ces of new findings and ideas, particularly ited to a small amount of text. when used to convey the research of dif- Scientific visualizations also have a critical ferent groups. Moreover, repurposing old role in engaging and inspiring the public. Beyond Pen and Paper illustrations represents a missed opportu- The power of images has been especially As we gain an increasingly detailed nity, specifically, the thoughtful exploration notable in the field of astronomy, where understanding of molecular and cellular that is required when drawing a model images, such as those of the surface of processes, it is important that the visual- from a blank slate. Mars, routinely make front-page news izations we create reflect this body of data. across the globe. As beneficiaries of pub- This means that, ideally, hypotheses that Understanding how to create information- lic funds, we also have a responsibility to involve dynamics should be represented rich and coherent graphical representa- communicate our findings with the public. by dynamic visualizations (through the use tions of our hypotheses is central to sci- Although it can seem significantly harder of animation, simulation, and video, for entific progress, and should be a part of to drum up public excitement about example), and hypotheses that involve the training curriculum for young scien- molecular biology, microscopic images 3D structures should be rendered using tists.

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