The Creation of Adam In Situ

Smith, Josh

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/89933 Copy

Description

Title

The Creation of Adam In Situ

Author(s)

Smith, Josh

Contributor(s)

• Doty, Karen
• Comparative Biosciences Histology Laboratory
• College of Veterinary Medicine
• Core Facilities of the University of Illinois Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology

Issue Date

2016-04

Keyword(s)

Nutritional Sciences

Abstract

Michelangelo's 'The Creation of Adam' famously depicts the Genesis creation story - God, grandly buoyed by a host of cherubim, reaching across an empty expanse, is about to impart the spark of life to the listless finger of Adam. Perhaps the most iconic (and brilliant) detail of the work is the hands, capturing the moment immediately before contact - the power of the creator, the fatigue of Adam, and the smallest of gaps between them. As a biologist, my own research attempts to capture critical details of life - from the impact of diet on the physiology of a whole organism, to the effects of individual genes on a few cells in an organ. My dissertation has focused on the function of a single gene, Bco1, and how it impacts androgen receptor signaling in the prostate. Late one night at the confocal fluorescence microscope, I found this and immediately thought of The Creation of Adam. From the glandular epithelia, fingerlike, extending across the empty expanse, to the smallest of gaps between them, I couldn't help but think that life, depicted grandly on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel or nestled in the middle of a mouses prostate, was completely amazing.

Type of Resource

• other
• image

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http://hdl.handle.net/2142/89933

Copyright and License Information

Copyright 2016 Josh Smith

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