A drawing series of plants by artist Virginia Lopez-Anido

Virginia Lopez-Anido: Drawing series: Nature of scientific inquiry. Untitled, pencil on paper, 8.5 x 11.7 in, 2021. In theme with the drawing series, a new paper by Camila Lopez-Anido, Dominique Bergmann and their colleagues serves as another layer of our understanding of how molecular principles define cell fate decisions and enable integration of environmental cues. This series was made by tracing, drawing and layering forms onto vellum and transparent papers, causing an effect of a palimpsest – a page that has been erased and reused – within stages or cycles when shown through a light source. Different versions were made, composed of the same materials by shifting and moving the layers in the composition between the foreground and background. Along with the familiar organic forms of leaves and flowers, there are faint traces of a mechanical cogwheel to represent recent technological advances in the sciences. Altogether, this series captures the nature of scientific inquiry as a process that builds on past studies and lays the foundation for future work. (Image credit: Virginia Lopez-Anido)