Digital image of a matrix of blue, red, yellow, green, orange and black dots arranged in an irregular plaid pattern, with mostly blue and green dots on either side of the matrix and mostly red, orange and red in its middle. A few points seem trickling away at the bottom of the matrix. There is no explanation of the significance of the different dot colors. There are more columns than rows, so the matrix appears as a wide rectangle. A legend on the left (title: Taxonomic depth) indicates that each row in the matrix represents a different type of bacteria. The legend consists of several bars next to each other (in a gradation of colors from light yellow to magenta) that show the classification of bacteria in its hierarchical subdividision. A bar next to most rows reads “Bacteria” (yellow); on its right, a light orange bar is split in “Proteobacteria”, “Actinobacteria” and others; Proteobacteria is further subdivided in the next bar (dark orange), in “Alphaproteobacteria” and “Betaproteobacteria”, and so forth. Thus the legend indicates that rows in the matrix are clustered according to the scientific classification of bacteria, so that rows next to each other represent bacteria that are more closely related on an evolutionary scale. A diagonally aligned text at the top of each column creates the illusion of depth and, although the font is very small and hardly readable, appears to indicate that each column represents a different gene product (a specific protein). Overall, the impression gained is that of a summary of genetic diversity within a sample of bacteria, organized both according to the type of bacteria (rows) and the diversity of specific metabolic functions (columns) identified within the sample. Above the matrix is a general title of the visualization: 'Thiocyanate bioreactor genome summary. High density genome summary matrix linked to a phylogenetic hierarchy'.

See more objects with the tag , organization, data visualization, environment.

Object Timeline

	We acquired this object.
2016	Work on this object began.
2019	We photographed this object. We exhibited this object.
2024	You found it!

Metagenomic Data Visualization, 2016

It was designed by Stamen Design and Eric Rodenbeck. It is dated 2016. Its medium is videos (2), data visualization. It is a part of the department.

These visualizations are produced by software designed for studying microbiomes through metagenomics, a method that identifies every organism in an environment at the time a sample is taken. DNA sequences of organisms found in an infant’s gut are displayed in different ways. A color-coded bar chart shows which genes are most expressive. A parallel coordinates graph facilitates comparisons of different taxonomic variables.

It is credited Courtesy Banfield Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley and Stamen Design.

Textile, Suburbia
cotton.
American Textile History Museum Collection.
2016-35-91

Textile, Vegetable Tree
linen.
Gift of Firma Svenskt Tenn.
1982-60-1

Sample, Honeycombe
cotton.
Gift of Eddie Squires.
1992-3-20

Our curators have highlighted 2 objects that are related to this one.

Poster, David Bowie 1976-84
screenprint on paper.
Gift of Non-Format.
2012-12-4

A musical score and data manifested in a sketch with mostly pink and white petals on tiny stems branching out onto larger stems in an all-over composition on grey paper. Data collected on a disease is then written in swirls in a white material close to the petals in the negative spaces with red dots in various tiny sizes that are evident near each blossom.

Bruises—The Data We Don’t See, 2018
data visualization with original score, still, prepatory sketch.
Courtesy of Giorgia Lupi and Kaki King.
NATURE.005

This object was previously on display as a part of the exhibition Nature—Cooper Hewitt Design Triennial.

Short URL http://cprhw.tt/o/4wUs7g/
Accession Number NATURE.010
Object ID 2318798835