(Untitled)

[zafania]

Hi, I'm looking for some visual, rather than written reference material. I want to use DNA strands as a decorative element in a peice of silversmithing, and I was wondering if someone could point me in the direction of a resource to find the pictures want

Comments

[bethcarielle]

What kind of visual reference are you looking for? Something like the space-saving ball model in my icon or a specific sequence or something else?

[zafania]

I love the model on your icon buts its a bit complex to render in engraving(curves are hard, and the smaller they get the more difficult to keep straight) I need something simple(ish) but dont really know enough baout the subject to be able to tell if i can have a specific sequence - say a bird of paradise plant(he loves those) - recogniseable at a level i can incorporate into my medium. i also need to bear in mind that i'll have to wokr in monochrome cos i dont have the facilities to enamel at the size the piece will have eto be to be viable

[bethcarielle]

I have no idea off the top of my head if the bird of paradise plant has been sequenced. I work with bacteria; smaller genomes, easier to sequence.

The DNA in my icon is a basic double-helix arrangement. I think anything you're likely to find as a reference will be in that form. When analyzed, DNA is usually textually rendered in a ATCG sequence which isn't very aesthetically pleasing.

Something like this is a very basic representation that doesn't actually incorporate any information.

Because you're friend is a genetic engineer I'm sure he'd recognize a double-helix in minimal form. Without color or a high level of detail I'm not sure it'd be possible to represent a specific sequence. Something like this shows a sequence with ATCG incorporated into the helix. The image itself isn't very pretty but you can see what I mean.

I would try Googling for images of DNA and see if anything appeals to you. Let me know if there's anything else with which I can help you.

[zafania]

I actually kind of like the second one - I'm wondering if i can use it quite large (maybe 3 strands round the beaker) and work the lettering in some kind of bastardised gothic script. i may have to go practice on some scrap metal and see what i can come up with.

I fi can do the second one with reasonable accuracy is it possible to depict a specific sequence this way? I did try google image but got a bit lost - couldn;t see the wood for the trees i think, i was wondering if there was some kind of databas i could browse for the sequence i wanted?

this is really helpful, btw, thanks!

[malnpudl]

I'm not helpful at all, but that sounds extremely cool. Your work is beautiful, and your gift recipient will be one very lucky person to receive it.