Science from sight to insight : how scientists illustrate meaning /

Beyond aesthetics, scientific illustration must effectively communicate factual information in a clear and visually compelling way. Gross (communication studies, Univ. of Minnesota, Twin Cities) and Harmon (science writer/editor, Argonne National Laboratory) present their extended insight that scientific images have epistemic importance, using well-supported reasoning, illustrations, and examples ranging from Socrates, da Vinci, and Shakespeare to Heidegger and McLuhan. By interweaving the visual with the verbal, scientists uniquely present data to generate dual meanings. Technology has progressed to ever more transformative illustrative depictions as methods have improved, from woodcuts and engravings to photography. More recent technology--PowerPoint--is analyzed for examples of productive interactions of words, tables, and images. The future is in online videos, with the possibilities inherent in the Internet and digital technology for development beyond demonstrations to allow visual reasoning and dynamic argument construction. Technology will continue to change pictorial scientific research results from "islands in a sea of print" to interactive portals enhancing understanding and engagement. This entry in the history of science, while idealistic (the authors note "ever-loosening restrictions on copyright by publishers" in reference to open access), is an intriguing exploration of ideas. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above. S. E. Wiegand Saint Mary's College