Image courtesy of Victoria Vesna, http://artsci.ucla.edu/BlueMorph/ Click on image above to visit the site.

The Blue Morph - "Studio 360" (WNYC)

The thickness of a human hair is between
60 and 90 millionth of a meter. And that
is considered pretty big to a nano scientist,
who normally deals with matter that is
just a fraction of that size.

Inspired by an abstract image of one such
small object, the carbon molecule,
architect Buckminster Fuller designed
the geodesic dome that housed the
American Pavilion at the World’s Fair
in Montreal in 1967.

Fuller’s work in turn incited two
professors at the University of California,
Los Angeles – one in nano technology
and one in media arts – to begin a
very close and intense collaboration –
using an atomic force microscope to
create images and sounds of the
very tiniest objects.

A few years ago, media arts professor
Victoria Vesna and professor of chemistry
James Gimzewski built an exhibit
around sounds and sights of “singing”
yeast cells. In their latest installation,
a metallic blue butterfly is the
center of attention.

If you would also like to listen the story on the "Singing Yeast Cells" please visit: http://www.prx.org/pieces/976 (Click the image to go there)