To colour…

Professor David Goodsell, who produces visual material for the Protein Data Bank (PDB), uses colour in his educational illustrations. According to a 2019 interview with Goodsell that appeared in Science, his main intent in using colour is to separate and highlight the varying functions and parts of different viruses and proteins. The results are striking.

Tvärsnitt av myelinklädd axon i centrala nervsystemet. Färg används för att separera olika funktioner och element

Cross-section of a myelin-coated axon in the central nervous system. Goodsell uses colour as a way to separate and contrast the different elements.
Source: David S. Goodsell, RCSB Protein Data Bank. doi: 10.2210/rcsb_pdb/goodsell-gallery-030 Creative Commons BY SA

…or not to colour?

Yet you can also let what is colourless remain colourless, and thereby maintain the colour conditions that prevail at the nanoscale. For instance, to separate actors and signal functions, surface texture, gloss value and generated texture can be used instead.

Dr. Monica Zoppè and SciVis are examples of researchers who successfully employ these techniques. The result is a more understated and sober impression.

Närstudie av TSH-receptor, monokrom rendering av 3D-modell

Close-up study of a TSH receptor. The monochrome expression emphasizes the absence of colour at the nanoscale.

Source: www.scivis.it

Now take a moment to evaluate the use of colour when visualising research data and information.

Based on what you have read about in this module, can you give some examples of pros and cons of using colour? Can you perhaps come up with additional examples that have not been touched upon in this course?
Would you say that the act of giving colour to something that is colourless is a case of misinformation? Why, or why not?
What other ethical implications could arise from using (or not using) colour?