INSTRUCTIONS
Read through the abstracts and take note of the topics and central research questions. Then scroll down and click on the links for each artist. Review the artworks and descriptions.
- Which art projects match with the scientific abstracts?
- How did the artists engage with the scientific information? Is their interpretation illustrative, data visualization, or conceptual?
- How does the artwork make you feel? What insights do you gain?
- Who may be the target audience for this work?
ABSTRACTS
The extrasolar planet Gliese 581d: a potentially habitable planet?
von Paris, P., Gebauer, S., Godolt, M., Grenfell, J. L., Hedelt, P., Kitzmann, D., … & Stracke, B. (2010). The extrasolar planet Gliese 581d: a potentially habitable planet?. Astronomy & Astrophysics, 522, A23. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/201015329
Abstract
Aims: The planetary system around the M star Gliese 581 contains at least three close-in potentially low-mass planets, Gl 581c, d, and e. In order to address the question of the habitability of Gl 581d, we performed detailed atmospheric modeling studies for several planetary scenarios.
Methods: A 1D radiative-convective model was used to calculate temperature and pressure profiles of model atmospheres, which we assumed to be composed of molecular nitrogen, water, and carbon dioxide. The model allows for changing surface pressures caused by evaporation/condensation of water and carbon dioxide. Furthermore, the treatment of the energy transport has been improved in the model to account in particular for high CO2, high-pressure Super-Earth conditions.
Results: For four high-pressure scenarios of our study, the resulting surface temperatures were above 273 K, indicating a potential habitability of the planet. These scenarios include three CO2-dominated atmospheres (95% CO2 concentration with 5, 10, and 20 bar surface pressure) and a high-pressure CO2-enriched atmosphere (5% CO2 concentration with 20 bar surface pressure). For all other considered scenarios, the calculated Gl 581d surface temperatures were below the freezing point of water, suggesting that Gl 581d would not be habitable then. The results for our CO2-dominated scenarios confirm very recent model results by Wordsworth et al. (2010). However, our model calculations imply that also atmospheres that are not CO2-dominated (i.e., 5% vmr instead of 95% vmr) could result in habitable conditions for Gl 581d.
An osteohistological analysis of Triceratops (Ornithischia: Ceratopsidae) cranial ornamentation
Obuszewski, K. D., Smith, N. A., & Brown, G. R. (2025). The Anatomical Record. 1-12. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/ar.70117
Abstract
Ceratopsids are among the most distinctive and well known extinct Cretaceous vertebrates, yet many details regarding the growth and composition of their cranial features are still not fully anatomically described or understood. In particular, striking cranial adornments such as the postorbital horns and parietalsquamosal frill of Triceratops experience a series of major morphological and histological shifts throughout ontogeny. While previous osteohistological studies have largely focused on the parietal of Triceratops, there are relatively few studies of postorbital horn and squamosal histology. Here we present an indepth osteohistological description of the postorbital horns and squamosal from a single subadult Triceratops horridus specimen and compare similar histological features among ceratopsian cranial ornaments. Analysis revealed the postorbital horns display considerable histological variation based on sampling location, with our proximal section describing an extensive range of vascularity across three notable horizons previously undocumented, suggesting that histological ontogenetic assessments could differ across ornamental structures. Although the Triceratops squamosal maintains similarities with remodeled bone among other ceratopsid parietals, distinct growth marks are preserved near the periosteal surface containing at least three lines of arrested growth, citing a novel developmental shift from rapid azonal to slowed zonal growth late in ontogeny. Additionally, although some metrics of cranial size remain relatively unreliable characteristics for assessing ontogeny, occipital condyle dimensions may offer an avenue of delineating ontogenetically older Triceratops individuals. Alongside morphological measurements, extensive histological sampling may provide a means to clarify currently perceived anatomical inconsistencies and heterochronic variation between putative adults and subadults of Triceratops and other ceratopsids.
Gamma Ray Bursts
Gehrels, N., & Mészáros, P. (2012). Science, 337(6097), 932-936. https://arxiv.org/pdf/1208.6522
Abstract
Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are bright flashes of gamma-rays coming from the cosmos. They occur roughly once per day, last typically 10s of seconds and are the most luminous events in the universe. More than three decades after their discovery, and after pioneering advances from space and ground experiments, they still remain mysterious. The launch of the Swift and Fermi satellites in 2004 and 2008 brought in a trove of qualitatively new data. In this review we survey the interplay between these recent observations and the theoretical models of the prompt GRB emission and the subsequent afterglows.
Microbial Extremophiles at the Limits of Life
Pikuta, E. V., Hoover, R. B., & Tang, J. (2007). Critical reviews in microbiology, 33(3), 183-209. DOI: 10.1080/10408410701451948
Abstract
Prokaryotic extremophiles were the first representatives of life on Earth and they are responsible for the genesis of geological structures during the evolution and creation of all currently known ecosystems. Flexibility of the genome probably allowed life to adapt to a wide spectrum of extreme environments. As a result, modern prokaryotic diversity formed in a framework of physico-chemical factors, and it is composed of: thermophilic, psychrophilic, acidophilic, alkaliphilic, halophilic, barophilic, and radioresistant species. This artificial systematics cannot reflect the multiple actions of different environmental factors since one organism could unite characteristics of several extreme-groups. In this review we show the current status of studies in all fields of extremophiles and summarize the limits of life for different species of microbial extremophiles. We also discuss the finding of extremophiles from unusual places such as soils, and briefly review recent studies of microfossils in meteorites in the context of the significance of microbial extremophiles to Astrobiology.
ARTISTS
Interspecifics
Interspecifics is a nomadic multispecies collectivity experimenting in the intersection between art and science. They embrace hybridized practices among different disciplines and living organisms, open knowledge and precarity as a challenge.
https://maropebo.com
https://int-lab.cc/codex/
Don Dixon
Don Dixon is a Fellow and founding member of the International Association of Astronomical Artists (IAAA). His art has been featured on the covers of Scientific American, Astronomy, Sky and Telescope, Bild der Wissenschaft, and dozens of books ranging from physics compendiums to science fiction novels.
Amy Karle
Amy Karle’s work explores how frontier science and emerging technologies reshape life, intelligence, evolution, and what it means to be human, from cells to societies, from quantum phenomena to the cosmos, and from the present into deep futures.
Katie Paterson
Paterson’s projects consider our place on Earth in the context of geological time and change. Her artworks make use of sophisticated technologies and specialist expertise to stage intimate, poetic and philosophical engagements between people and their natural environment.