Category Archives: Biology

Are there moths in the Uncanny Valley?

Posted on October 20, 2013 by cicada

I love this meditative video. . . until the moth. It’s a skillful animation, but I feel like it’s going to start dancing with its little legs, singing “What the Moth Says.” Is this a case of insectoid Uncanny Valley? … Continue reading →

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Lewis Tardy: Skeletal Metal

Posted on October 20, 2013 by cicada

I recently saw some of Lewis Tardy’s work at a show, and was impressed by the visual impact of his metal automatons against a dark background (particularly the moving pieces). While it’s difficult to call his sleek, modern chrome pieces … Continue reading →

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Kate Lacour: challenging the Codex Seraphinianus in the category of surreal, faux-anatomical weirdness

Posted on October 10, 2013 by cicada

When Kate Lacour sent me a link to her tumblr, sharkbrains (subtitle: “Body horror beauty – art and comics”), I didn’t know quite what to expect. What I found was delightful – a modern successor to the Codex Seriphinianus.

Posted in Artists & Art, Biology, Blogs and Blogging, Ephemera, Medical Illustration and History, Uncategorized, Wonder Cabinets, Yikes! | Comments Off

Call for Artwork: U.S. State Dep’t Marine Debris Art Challenge

Posted on September 23, 2013 by cicada

Have you made artwork out of marine debris? The U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Oceans & International Environmental & Scientific Affairs is inviting submissions to the “Marine Debris Art Challenge” (hosted at flickr). Entries must: list your country, specify … Continue reading →

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“Meat the Future”: The In Vitro Meat Cookbook

Posted on September 22, 2013 by cicada

It’s a book of recipes that you can’t cook . . . yet! Those diehard dietary techno-optimists over at NextNature are preparing a speculative “In Vitro Meat Cookbook” to explore the outer bounds of what one might make from in … Continue reading →

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The evolutionary history of feathers

Posted on September 21, 2013 by cicada

If you haven’t already read Brian Switek’s My Beloved Brontosaurus (the New York Times called it “a delight,” and said “[t]his may be the one book for catching up on what has become of the dinosaurs you thought you knew … Continue reading →

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Friday Frivolity: Concepts in Ant Farm Design

Posted on September 20, 2013 by cicada

Jeff Schwarting didn’t like the pre-fab plastic look of commercial ant farms, so he designed a farm of his own and put it on Kickstarter. His farm uses “space gel,” which serves as food source, water source, and tunneling medium. I’m … Continue reading →

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Should fictional narrators stop to explain basic science?

Posted on February 23, 2013 by cicada

Full disclosure: I like the New Yorker. I’m always up for vocabulary-stretching escapism, even if I have to wade through irrelevant front matter (newsflash: the Goings on About Town are mostly useless to readers in the flyover states) bordered by … Continue reading →

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A Murmuration of Cheese Balls: when nature enters the Uncanny Valley

Posted on August 19, 2012 by cicada

Murmuration, in addition to being a perfectly lovely word, also captures one of the most wonderful phenomena one can encounter in nature. Behold, one of the loveliest viral videos of recent years: Did you get goosebumps? Thomas Jackson’s series “Emergent … Continue reading →

Posted in Artists & Art, Biology, Ephemera, Film, Video & Music, Neuroscience, Science, Web 2.0, New Media, and Gadgets, Wonder Cabinets, Yikes! | Comments Off

BioE is so redundant right now

Posted on July 26, 2012 by cicada

Steam of Consciousness by Chris Conte (updated: look! I found a moving .gif on the artist’s website! It’s at the bottom of the post). It’s really amazing to me how mainstream anatomical art, steampunk, etc. has become in the past … Continue reading →

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