Nano-images as hybrid monsters

Martin Ruivenkamp, Arie Rip

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapterAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

This chapter discusses the role of images in nanotechnology. Nanotechnology includes an array of scientific and engineering fields in which researchers observe and manipulate materials at or near the nanometer scale (one billionth of a meter). The very idea of visualizing nanoscale phenomena is controversial, as such phenomena are far smaller than a wavelength of light; nevertheless, nanoimages are ubiquitous in research articles, press releases, and other displays of nanoscale phenomena. This chapter shows how such images often take a hybrid form, freely combining elements of traditional scientific representation with speculative portrayals that showcase promised and imagined possibilities. Three emerging genre of nanoimages are presented, and the authors critically discuss the possibility that they exemplify a new mode of scientific representation.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationRepresentation in Scientific Practice Revisited
EditorsCatelijne Coopmans, Janet Vertesi, Michael E. Lynch, Steve Woolgar
PublisherMIT Press
Pages177-200
Number of pages384
ISBN (Print)9780262525381
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2014

Publication series

Name
PublisherMIT Press

Keywords

  • METIS-306171
  • IR-92363

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