Odds and endsMuseum exhibit stages immune systems championship
Dublin’s Science Gallery offers a new exhibit/game: lab scientists take white blood cells from gallery visitors and then pit them (the cells, not the visitors) against each other in a Petri dish to determine which immune system is stronger; the exhibit, called Blood Wars, allows winning blood cell samples move on to the next round, battling other immune systems until a champion is declared
White blood cells in action // Source: vaxa.com
Talk about bringing new meaning to the term “blood sport”: Fancy yourself a hardy little organism? Think your immune system could trounce those of your peers? Stop by Dublin’s Science Gallery and you can put your T-Cells to the test. An exhibit there is taking white blood cells from participants and pitting them against one another in a Petri dish to determine which immune system is champ.
Aptly titled Blood Wars, the exhibit is part of a larger exhibition called visceral that explores the line between art and living systems. Science Gallery reports that to put immune systems to the test, Blood Wars has a phlebotomist take a blood sample on-site in the museum lab, from which American artist/biologist Kathy High extracts the white blood cells, stains them different colors, and puts them in the ring with one another to vie for immuno-dominance.
Set up like a tournament, Blood Wars allows winning blood cell samples move on to the next round, battling other immune systems until a champion is declared. According to High, it will also give us a better understanding of how cell membranes exchange with one another and the processes behind blood cell division.
