BACTERIA is the focal point of a new exhibition at the Museum of the History of Science as it explores our relationship with the microbial world, antibiotics and technology.

The BioArt and Bacteria exhibition, by renowned artist Anna Dumitriu, combines traditional artistic media with contemporary science to produce artwork fused with bacteria.

She said: “I work hands-on with the tools and techniques of microbiology and synthetic biology to create intricate artworks that reveal strange histories and emerging futures.

“My obsessions with the history and treatment of infectious diseases, medical ethics, antibiotics and antibiotic resistance, ancient remedies and the evolution of drug discovery make for an emotionally-affecting experience.’

One of the pieces in the exhibition, Microbe Mouth, is made from 'teeth' artificially made in a lab, from extremophile bacterium which live in 'extreme environments' under high pressure and temperature.

The exhibition runs until March 18. For full details visit mhs.ox.ac.uk/exhibits/