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I’m a sucker for pretty pictures. But this is something else.

Rose, by Dr Nathaniel Harran, University of Bristol

The Faculty of Medical and Veterinary Sciences at the University of Bristol runs an annual competition, The Art of Science, in which research scientists are challenged to look for “aesthetic beauty in their experimental work.” The winners of the 2010 competition were announced in December, six lucky postgrads receiving champagne and 50 quid each, with PIs/postdocs/technicians eligible for £75 and bubbly.

I don’t know what would make somebody decide to X-ray a bunch of roses, but I heartily approve of the somewhat pointless beauty of the idea. I adore roses anyway, but seeing the internal structure, for me, simply adds to the wonder of it all. The romantic in me hopes they were red ones.

The other photographs, winners and runners-up and some going back to 2003, can be found at the University’s website. They’re also showcased at the Daily Telegraph (a ‘quality’ British newspaper), which can only be good for raising the profile of science in the rest of the community. And if it inspires more people to become curious about this amazing world we live in, surely that’s a good thing too?