Pictures of luminous bacteria

Science brings practical benefits and moves humanity along the road of knowledge, but at the same time it is excellent for creating unusual works of art. For example, at the World Science Festival in Brisbane (Australia), artists showed paintings written not with pencil or paint, but with living material: sea bacteria of the Aliivibrio fischeri species, which live in the bioluminescence organ of the Hawaiian squid, the septoloids.

Instead of a canvas, the microbiologist uses a large Petri dish in which microorganisms live.


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In the dark, these bacterial colonies look particularly impressive.

“This bacterium is found in a tiny squid measuring just 3 centimeters. She lives in their bioluminescence organ, in a large convex part under the body, ”explains microbiologist Susie Wiles (Siouxsie Wiles) from the University of Auckland, curator of the exhibition at the Queensland Museum.

Septoloid is nocturnal. Illumination from below is a tricky move, with which he eliminates his shadow while hunting in shallow water in the moonlight.

Bacteria live on the “canvas” for several days until nutrients run out.