Science can produce artistic pictures, and the winners of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology's BioArt competition show that goldfish retinas, amyloidosis, and streptococci can be the subjects of pretty pictures.
Research images produced by scientists "are rarely viewed outside the lab, but some are so worthy of artistic merit and brimming with educational value that they deserve a wider audience," notes US National Institutes of Health Director Francis Collins at his blog.
He focuses on an image of a freshwater snail infected with a parasitic flatworm, which he says is not only a good picture, but an image of hope.
All of the winning images may be seen here.