Lights! Camera! Science!

It's one thing to read a description of DNA's function and replication, and how it fits inside a cell, but it's quite another to actually see it happen. Australian biomedical animator Drew Berry, who was recently awarded a MacArthur fellowship, makes movies illustrating these processes, says The Loom's Carl Zimmer. At a TEDx talk recently posted online, Berry describes his work as a continuation of the scientific tradition of drawing or sketching to illustrate an idea. "My first thought was, 'Why didn’t I get to see these movies when I was learning about biology as a kid?'" Zimmer says. "There’s no question that people like Berry are going to be making the movies that fill our heads in our future when we think about what’s going on in our bodies."