Strength in Numbers : An Art of Life

Chatterjee, Purba

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/103755 Copy

Description

Title

Strength in Numbers : An Art of Life

Author(s)

Chatterjee, Purba

Issue Date

2019

Keyword(s)

Physics

Abstract

Art, often through metaphors, depicts that which is visible, while Science works hard to uncover what is hidden and yet unknown, making the two realms appear seemingly at odds with each other. However, both these endeavors are complementary in their pursuit of interpreting the physical world and communicating that vision to humanity. This image is a representation of my research in theoretical biophysics through my artwork. I work on living or 'Active' systems, like birds, fish and bacteria, which show a wide range of spectacular community phenomena of which no analogue can be found in the inanimate world. In this image we see schools of fish self-organize into travelling density waves (top right), coherently moving clusters (middle) and swirls (bottom), just a few of many such fantastic collective behavior that living systems exhibit. Indeed, there is strength in numbers: by flocking, these living entities ensure that they are protected from predation and environmental shocks. Such self-organization into collective structures is spontaneous, intriguing and often breath-taking, and as such captures the imagination of artists and scientists alike.

Type of Resource

• text
• image

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http://hdl.handle.net/2142/103755

Copyright and License Information

Copyright 2019 Purba Chatterjee

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