Tal Danino’s day job at Columbia University, New York, is to design “living” medicine. “We’re programming microbes for cancer therapy using synthetic biology,” he says. As a side print, he manipulates and photographs the microbial world; his images were collected in a book, Beautiful Bacteria. By taking bacteria from substances such as waste water, dental plaque or kimchi, Danino grows them in a petri dish, adding dyes. The results are works of art that differ from the digital enhancements often made in scientific photography to make images more informative. Indeed, he says, the microbes deserve some credit: “They often deviate from our plans and become active collaborators in the creation of the work.”
Beautiful Bacteria: Encounters in the Microcosm is published by Rizzoli (£38.50). Check out to order a copy for £33.88 guardianbookshop.com or call 020-3176 3837
