UK celebrities combine science with art

Celebrities including Stephen Fry teamed up with an American microbiologist to make portraits using a swab covered in bacteria from their arms.

Celebrities including Stephen Fry are helping make an art out of science after taking part in an experiment to grow portraits from their own bacteria.

The stars have teamed up with American microbiologist and photographer Zachary Copfer to make the images by contributing a swab covered in bacteria from their arms.

He then took a digital photograph of the stars which was made into a negative and placed over a petri dish and shot through with radiation to burn away the bacteria in places leaving the image to emerge over 48 hours.

Children's TV presenters Dick and Dom also had their portraits created in a bid to promote The Big Bang UK Young Scientists and Engineers Fair where the pictures will go on show.

TV presenter Carol Vorderman said: "As a patron of The Big Bang Fair, engaging young people in science, technology, engineering and maths is a very big part of what I do.

"It was great fun taking part in this project, and the portrait looks brilliant - it's definitely one of a kind.

"I hope that by showing young people the interesting and unusual ways that science can be applied, they're inspired to discover more about science and engineering careers for themselves."

The fair takes place in March at the NEC in Birmingham and is aimed at encouraging young people to get involved in science and engineering.

Mr Copfer said: "It's been great to have been given the chance to get involved with The Big Bang Fair.

"I'm particularly excited that my work will be a big part of the fair's central aim to inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers."


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Source: AAP

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