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A group blog composed of scientists, show hosts and producers, Correlations is the official blog of WIRED SCIENCE. Tips, questions or comments? E-mail us at correlations@kcet.org.

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Liz Burr

is the Interactive Project Manager for WIRED SCIENCE Digital.

Damon Gambuto

is a producer on the WIRED SCIENCE television series.

Tamsin Gray

is living in Antarctica to research climate change and the ozone hole.

Chris Hardwick

is a co-host on the WIRED SCIENCE television series.

Clifford Johnson

is a professor of Physics at the University of Southern California.

Sheril Kirshenbaum

is a marine biologist at Duke University.

Tara C. Smith

is an assistant professor of epidemiology in Iowa.

Michael Tobis

is a climatologist at UT Austin working on improving climate models.

Ziya Tong

is a host and field producer for WIRED SCIENCE.

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03.24.08

Fetal Teddy Bears & Dream Anatomy

by Ziya Tong Department: Health & Life Sciences

Ever wondered where teddy bears come from? Ok, to be honest, neither had I. But felt artist Stephanie Metz has certainly given some thought to the development of animals in the womb. In her Genus Ursulus project she examines the anatomy of the imaginary:

The genus name Ursulus comes from the Latin 'small bear'. Using a variety of store-bought teddy bears as 'species' source material, I am reverse-engineering what their skulls look like and the differences and similarities between 'breeds.' My approach is to make up evidence and document, present, and interpret that evidence in a formal manner.

(image via NotCot)

It may seem odd to us today, but this play on "formality" and fantasy is where anatomists actually got their start. According to Dream Anatomy, a site that explores the history of medical illustrations, early drawings were rife with embellishments. "Artists did not just record anatomical reality: they dramatized, travestied, beautified, and moralized it. The gulf between illustration and real life was vast." In fact, it wasn't until around the 1700's that these fantastical elements were finally dissected from the medical picture, and the focus shifted to finding new standards of accuracy.

Today though - whether it's skull rings or Body Worlds - we're seeing medical art and illustration re-enter the popular imagination. Some of the best of it can be found at Vanessa Ruiz's Street Anatomy blog where she's got a great compilation on anatomical design that covers everything from tattoos, to street art to cartoons.