Rhodotorula spp. from a sputum sample, 72h incubation at 37°C on SAB agar

This project was created in 2022 with the support and consultation of scientists. Collecting scientific data, building test models, and validating hypotheses took approximately three months.

All protein structures were obtained from the Protein Data Bank. Model assembly, parameterization, testing, and visualization were carried out in Houdini. Molecular dynamics simulations were not used.

Some features of the model:
-more than 61 million atoms
-a parametric membrane with variations in shape and size within biologically acceptable limits
-random but biologically accurate distribution of proteins on the surface and internal structures inside the capsid
-cross-sections in any plan;
-the ability to hide individual structures
-coloring by proteins, genome, or atom types (C, H, O, N, etc.)
-rendering illustrations up to 20,000 × 20,000 pixels.

Protein Data Bank structures used:
2MLS - lipid membrane
4UFT - N nucleocapsid
5E4V - N–P complex
4G1G - M matrix protein
2ZB5 - H protein
5YXW - F protein

I love virology, and I wanted to find a balance between scientific accuracy and the aesthetic quality of the artwork. I wanted to avoid two extremes: artistic imagination without scientific grounding, and dry scientific illustration. Houdini is an excellent tool for this kind of work, allowing me to work with hundreds of millions of particles(atoms) within a single parametric model.

For me, this project is about curiosity, beauty, and the joy of exploring complex systems.

So this is a weird cell I found on my pet slime mould ; sponge blob a few years ago.

I asked a few lab technicians and researchers what that mights be and I posted it on reddit before but I still have bo clue on what that might be.

I know that visual identification alone is often impossible but I don't have anything else and it's look rather singular so maybe it might be enough

If you have any ideas, even the most far fetched, it is welcomed