The photograph that emerged as the winner of the 2012 edition of the Wellcome Image Awards offers a fascinating glimpse inside the human brain, with prominently featured blood vessels dyed in a striking red and sizable purple veins meandering across its surface.
This unique representation of the human brain managed to surpass a diverse selection of other striking images, such as a caffeine crystal filled with colors and a moth that, at first glance, seemed extraterrestrial.
A Unique Photograph of the Brain
Alice Roberts, a renowned anatomist from the University of Cardiff and one of the judges of the competition, enthusiastically praised the winning image for its ability to illuminate the unknown. The photograph reveals arteries of bright red, carrying oxygen-rich blood, intensely purple veins, and the delicate pinkish-red hue of cerebral “gray matter.”
This exceptional visual representation gives the viewer the opportunity to appreciate what normally remains hidden inside our skulls, offering a truly extraordinary perspective.
The mastermind behind this captivating image is Robert Ludlow, a medical photographer, who managed to capture it while observing brain surgery in which electrodes were implanted in the brain of a patient suffering from epilepsy.
This procedure is essential for locating areas in the brain where electrical signals had lost control, resulting in seizure episodes. In a subsequent procedure, these problematic areas were intervened, and the patient achieved a full recovery.
The winning photograph stood out for its context, composition, and clarity, as Alice Roberts detailed.
The Tough Competition
Among the other impactful finalist images was a microscopic shot of a moth (Psychodidae), whose furry body and segmented eyes gave it an appearance that seemed straight out of science fiction or fantasy. Kevin Mackenzie, the talented photographer behind this image, found the moth in his own kitchen, and his scientific curiosity drove him to explore it under a scanning electron microscope, revealing astonishing details.
Another finalist image featured a fractured caffeine crystal, captured by Annie Cavanagh and David McCarthy, scientists from the University of London with an artistic eye. These two highly skilled photographers also received praise for their close-up image of a lavender leaf in shades of green and yellow, as well as for an impressive stellar snapshot of a loperamide crystal, a medication used to treat diarrhea.
The photography competition is sponsored by the Wellcome Trust, a research funding entity. This year, a change was implemented: instead of a list of honorees, a first prize was awarded.
The awards were presented in London, and the winning images were exhibited at the Wellcome Collection in the city until December 2012. These images not only highlight the beauty and complexity of the scientific world but also provide a unique and revealing perspective on the internal and astonishing aspects of human anatomy and other natural phenomena.
