The World's Largest Diffraction Pattern
What's it all about?
Diamond Light Source went on a mission to produce the World's largest diffraction pattern by inviting thousands of people to simply put a cross stitch into a piece of fabric and learn a bit of science in the process.
This creative piece was inspired by diffraction patterns and the 3D structure solved of an enzyme called Serine Racemase, which plays an important role in the fight against pain and neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's disease.
Launched in November 2008 when the Minister for Science and Innovation, Lord Drayson, added the first silver stitch (pictured right), the diffraction pattern has since travelled far and wide, gathering stitches from thousands of people: science festival goers in Paris; visitors to the national AAAS public science event in Chicago, USA; and countless residents of Oxfordshire, young and old, during the county's annual science festival.
We also gathered virtual stitches by inviting people to add a stitch online. This meant we were able to open it up to everyone, no matter where in the world they were.
The final pattern was unveiled at Diamond Light Source by Nobel Prize Winner Prof. Venki Ramakrishnan on Friday 9 July 2010, pictured left with Anne Griffiths, lead artist on the project, Dr Myron Smith, a scientist from Evotec who collected the diffraction results that inspired the pattern, and Prof. Gerd Materlik, CEO of Diamond.
You can find out out more about the unveiling here.