Alexander Fleming is widely known as the brilliant microbiologist who gave the world the miraculous life-saving drug called antibiotic.
But he also had an artistic side that is perhaps less well known.
But his artistic talents didnt lie in watercolors or pencil sketches but in another mediumliving organism.
Fleming was one of the first scientists to use microbes to create works of art.
Fleming produced these artwork by culturing microorganisms having different natural pigments on petri dishes to create colorful patterns.
With time Flemings palette grew richer as he found more bacteria with the colors he needed.
Some germ art made by Alexander Fleming.
It was all technically very difficult.
Alexander Fleming in his laboratory at St Mary’s, Paddington, London.
Modern microbial artworks are exceedingly clever and creative.
Here are some germ art submitted to the American Society for Microbiology for their annual ASM Agar Art contest.
