2026 π Day latest news buy art
And she looks like the moon. So close and yet, so far.Future Islandsaim highmore quotes
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writing

Writing

Poetry

Inked Sadness is a collection of poems written in that difficult time between being no longer young, but not yet old.

Expressions and Conversations of Love are short heart-breakers.

Scripts

Proverbial Man considers how our names and expectations limit our perceptions and freedoms. No answers are offered. I don't think I finished this.

The Surrogate echoes my own fears of fleeing from Poland in the early 80s. Or at least the fears I retroactively erected, to add drama. Count on the Polish for drama.

Narrative

Thirty Reasons should be enough to decide a place isn't worth returning to.

NeverEnder — Epic Space Poem

By my friend and colleague Emanuele Raffaele Ettore Libertini, the NeverEnder is a voyage through space and words.

news + thoughts

Nature Biotechnology cover

Thu 23-04-2026

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.

Martin Krzywinski @MKrzywinski mkweb.bcgsc.ca
My Nature Biotechnology phylogenetic tree cover (volume 44, issue 4, 7 April 2026). (more)

Browse my gallery of cover designs.

Martin Krzywinski @MKrzywinski mkweb.bcgsc.ca
A catalogue of my journal and magazine cover designs. (more)

Happy 2026 π Day—
Art for the 5%

Fri 13-03-2026

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.

Martin Krzywinski @MKrzywinski mkweb.bcgsc.ca
2026 π DAY | Art for the 5%. Shown in the style of Ishihara color test plates, the art is visible only to those with colour blindness. (details)

Ishihara's Tests for Colour Deficiency

Sun 08-03-2026

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.

Martin Krzywinski @MKrzywinski mkweb.bcgsc.ca
ISHIHARA'S TEST PLATE 6 | This plate is part of the set of transformation plates. If you see 5, you're ok. If you see 2, you're not. (details)
Martin Krzywinski @MKrzywinski mkweb.bcgsc.ca
ISHIHARA'S TEST PLATE 18 | This plate is part of the set of mysterious hidden plates. If you don't see anything, you're ok. If you see 5, you're not. (details)

Symmetric alternatives to the ordinary least squares regression

Wed 23-07-2025

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.

Martin Krzywinski @MKrzywinski mkweb.bcgsc.ca
Nature Methods Points of Significance column: Symmetric alternatives to the ordinary least squares regression. Geometry of quantities minimized in OLS and symmetric regression. OLS minimizes `\Sigma e_y^2` in `Y` ~ `X` and `\Sigma e_x^2` `X` ~ `Y`. Pythagorean regression minimizes AB (magenta). Geometric means regression (GMR) minimizes area of ABP (orange). Orthogonal regression (OR) minimizes HP (blue). (read)

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.

Martin Krzywinski | contact | Canada's Michael Smith Genome Sciences CentrePHSA
Google whack “vicissitudinal corporealization”
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