Even pathogens can be portrayed in a beautiful way

When I was a Ph.D. student supervised by Dr. Marilene Vainstein, I spent a lot of time using scanning electron microscopy to study the ultrastructure of microbial communities. Often, I'd get so absorbed in the process that I'd end up capturing images that were just aesthetically pleasant to look at, even if they weren't going to be used in our research papers.The experience was truly eye-opening and delightful as it showed me how, under the microscope, even pathogens can have a beauty so surprising and captivating that they could easily be featured on the walls of a museum. 

After submitting some  images of the pathogen Cryptococcus gattii to microscopy competitions in which the winning images were largely shared, the Department of Cultural Dissemination from UFRGS (Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil) reached out to invite us to exhibit our images in a gallery.

We thought it would also be a great opportunity to engage in science communication, since beauty has a way of sparking curiosity and facilitating learning like nothing else. Under the curatorship of Dr. Augusto Schrank, we showcased 31 images, chosen to inform and engage both the scientific community and the general public about Cryptococcus-related diseases.