MRC National Institute for Medical Research, London
Science for Health
Other structures
Exhibited at Bridges 2006
Helix 2
This antiparallel double helix is formed from asymmetric pairs of blue and yellow monkeys, joined by a symmetric link between the yellow monkeys. The symmetric pairs are linked to form a helix with their twofold axes perpendicular to the helix axis.
Simian Virus
This model of a virus shell is an icosahedron. Each triangular face is assembled from three groups of six monkeys (three red and three blue joined in a trigonal ring). The links between the groups within each triangular face differ slightly from those between the faces (quasi equivalence).
Ringed Planet
The planet is a dodecahedron with a symmetric group of three monkeys at each vertex (one of these is shown in blue). The repeating unit of the ring is a group of four monkeys joined with twofold symmetry by two different links. The ring has five half twists and is thus a Mobius strip of the fifth order (a single surface).
Tetrahedra on a Zome Lattice
Tetrahedra are made from twelve symmetric pairs of monkeys and then assembled on a face centred cubic lattice (white). It can be seen that this is equivalent both to a diamond lattice (yellow) and to a lattice joining the centres of cubic close-packed spheres (green), in which space is filled by alternating tetrahedra and octahedra.
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