Art in science

Recent articles

Drawing by Santiago Ramón y Cajal of a hypothesis for how signals travel through neurons.

‘Sacred objects’ display discredits Golgi and Ramón y Cajal’s rivalry: Q&A with curator Daniel Colón Ramos

A new exhibit that opened last week shows drawings from the influential duo side by side for the first time and recasts them as collaborators. It also reveals lessons for modern scholars.

By Claudia López Lloreda
10 December 2024 | 9 min read
Illustrated portrait of Kanaka Rajan.

How neuroscience comics add KA-POW! to the field: Q&A with Kanaka Rajan

The artistic approach can help explain complex ideas frame by frame without diluting the science, Rajan says.

By Olivia Gieger
9 October 2024 | 7 min read

Redrawing Santiago Ramón y Cajal: Q&A with Dawn Hunter

The painter and visual arts professor spent hours recreating Ramón y Cajal’s art and poring over his sketchbooks and self-portraits in the National Archives of Spain, uncovering unappreciated aspects of his techniques and influences.

By Rebecca Horne
4 June 2024 | 9 min read
Portrait of the interior designer Madeleine Castaing by the French painter Chaïm Soutine.

The creative brain—an edited excerpt from ‘Essays on Art and Science’

In his new book, neuroscientist Eric Kandel explores how sensory perception and higher-order cognitive processes influence our experience of art.

By Eric Kandel
19 March 2024 | 8 min read

Unmasking Alzheimer’s disease

People with early-onset Alzheimer’s disease describe why they enrolled in clinical trials through the Dominantly Inherited Alzheimer Network (DIAN), in a new book of portrait photography.

By Rebecca Horne
13 November 2023 | 6 min read

Explore more from The Transmitter

Why emotion research is stuck—and how to move it forward

Studying how organisms infer indirect threats and understand changing contexts can establish a common framework that bridges species and levels of analysis.

By Joshua P. Johansen
26 January 2026 | 0 min watch

After NINDS director ouster, 40 neuroscience organizations press U.S. Congress for oversight over hiring process

A letter signed by the groups asks Congress to ensure that scientific expertise remains a priority in the search for a new director of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.

By Angie Voyles Askham
23 January 2026 | 3 min read
Curvy lines link brain scans and a world map.

BRAIN Initiative researchers ‘dream big’ amid shifts in leadership, funding

But whether the initiative’s road map for the next decade is feasible remains an open question.

By Claudia López Lloreda
23 January 2026 | 6 min read

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