Adam Arstall, Briony Thomas, Motiejus Valiunas and Emilio Zappa
From images under the microscope, the visualisation of a journey
into the structure and geometry of viruses evolved. ‘Shadows from
Six Dimensions’ visualises nested and expandable polyhedra that
provide new insights into viral architecture and the process of
maturation and infection. A new class of polyhedra, obtained from
projection from 6D, are constructed as nested shells to model the 3D
organisation of two viruses, Pariacoto and MS2. Expandable polyhedra
are then used as the basis for modelling of the expansion of the
ERAV virus and shown to represent the asymmetric structural
transition pathway of a dodecahedral viral capsid. The movie results
from an interdisciplinary collaboration between mathematics, biology
and design. It illustrates the crucial role mathematics plays in
understanding the structure of viruses, and the importance of
collaboration across traditional subject boundaries in our advancing
our understanding of these fascinating yet deadly organisms.