Art of the Personalized Oncogenomics Program
A poet is, after all, a sort of scientist, but engaged in a qualitative science in which nothing is measurable. He lives with data that cannot be numbered, and his experiments can be done only once. The information in a poem is, by definition, not reproducible. He becomes an equivalent of scientist, in the act of examining and sorting the things popping in [to his head], finding the marks of remote similarity, points of distant relationship, tiny irregularities that indicate that this one is really the same as that one over there only more important. Gauging the fit, he can meticulously place pieces of the universe together, in geometric configurations that are as beautiful and balanced as crystals.
— Lewis Thomas (The Medusa and the Snail: More Notes of a Biology Watcher)
I've prepared posters in three popular size formats: 11" × 14", 50 cm × 50 cm and 50 cm × 70 cm.
All artwork is available in PDF and PNG format. Click on the button on the top-right of the image to download these files. All files include 1/8" bleed. For printing, use the PDFs.
The PNG bitmap is provided for convenience and rastered at 600 dpi with 1/8" bleed (75 pixel margin on all sides). For example, the 11" × 14" bitmap has width 11.25 × 600 = 6,750 and height 14.25 × 600 = 8,550.
An explanation of how these images were generated, along with a printable legend, is available in the Methods section.
These posters are designed to fit a standard 11" × 14" frame.
These posters are fit to 50 cm × 70 cm and fit into inexpensive Strömby frames at IKEA.
The bigmap is 600 dpi (artboard 11,811 × 16,535 pixels) with 1/8" bleed (75 pixel margin on all sides).
These posters are fit to 50 cm × 50 cm and fit into inexpensive Strömby frames at IKEA.
You can print this poster to any square frame but keep in mind that if you shrink it down too much, the text may not be legible. At size, the text is 6.7 pt, which can be read comfortably. I would avoid printing the poster smaller than 30 cm × 30cm, which would have text of 4 pt in size.
The bigmap is 600 dpi (artboard 11,811 × 16,535 pixels) with 1/8" bleed (75 pixel margin on all sides).
This is the standard postcard size. The bitmap is 600 dpi (artboard 2,400 × 3,600 pixels) with 1/8" bleed (75 pixel margin on all sides).
Nature Biotechnology cover
My cover design on the 7 April 2026 Nature Biotechnology issue shows the dendrogram that represents a cluster of uniquely expressed (or downregulated) genes in human naive stem cells induced from such cells. Within each dendrogram block, the genomic barcode sequence (sampled from Supplementary Table 1) is depicted with a Code 39 barcode. The highlighted barcode is one of those used for cell isolation.
Ishiguro S. et al. A multi-kingdom genetic barcoding system for precise clone isolation (2026) Nature Biotechnology 44:616–629.
Browse my gallery of cover designs.
Happy 2026 π Day—
Art for the 5%
Celebrate π Day (March 14th) and enjoy the art — but only if you're part of the 5%.
Go ahead, see what you can't see.
Ishihara's Tests for Colour Deficiency
Authentic and accurate images of Ishihara's test plates photographed (and lovingly color-corrected) from the 38-plate Ishihara's Tests for Colour Deficiency.
I also provide the position, size, and color of each circle on each test plate.
Symmetric alternatives to the ordinary least squares regression
What immortal hand or eye, could frame thy fearful symmetry? — William Blake, "The Tyger"
This month, we look at symmetric regression, which, unlike simple linear regression, it is reversible — remaining unaltered when the variables are swapped.
Simple linear regression can summarize the linear relationship between two variables `X` and `Y` — for example, when `Y` is considered the response (dependent) and `X` the predictor (independent) variable.
However, there are times when we are not interested (or able) to distinguish between dependent and independent variables — either because they have the same importance or the same role. This is where symmetric regression can help.
Luca Greco, George Luta, Martin Krzywinski & Naomi Altman (2025) Points of significance: Symmetric alternatives to the ordinary least squares regression. Nat. Methods 22:1610–1612.
Beyond Belief Campaign BRCA Art
Fuelled by philanthropy, findings into the workings of BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes have led to groundbreaking research and lifesaving innovations to care for families facing cancer.
This set of 100 one-of-a-kind prints explore the structure of these genes. Each artwork is unique — if you put them all together, you get the full sequence of the BRCA1 and BRCA2 proteins.
Propensity score weighting
The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few. —Mr. Spock (Star Trek II)
This month, we explore a related and powerful technique to address bias: propensity score weighting (PSW), which applies weights to each subject instead of matching (or discarding) them.
Kurz, C.F., Krzywinski, M. & Altman, N. (2025) Points of significance: Propensity score weighting. Nat. Methods 22:638–640.