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Szymon Drobniak

is an evolutionary biologist, researcher on colour, ornithologist, illustrator and author. A passionate fan of diagrams, cross-sections and pea soup. In his spare time, he collects roots (not the mathematical kind).
The Silence of Light
World + People
Outer Space

The Silence of Light

Nothing is more beautiful at night than the sight of a coal-black sky uncontaminated by the lights of major metropolises. But when we look up, do we really see what we think we see?
Szymon Drobniak
Life without Air
Soul + Body
Good Food

Life without Air

Sourdough bread, fermented herring, blue-veined cheese: the list of dishes enjoyed by people in various parts of the world includes many fermented, slightly spoiled, soured, or rotten foodstuffs. 
Szymon Drobniak
Nice To Err
World + People
The Other School

Nice To Err

If it were possible to eliminate all the errors in the world, take into account all circumstances and predict all consequences, then science would become unnecessary, and life would be boring and repetitive. Without mistakes, there would be no evolution or diversity. We would either be at a standstill, or completely extinct.
Szymon Drobniak
Pink Doesn’t Exist
Art + Stories
Experiences

Pink Doesn’t Exist

Pink is a little like the famous pipe in René Magritte’s picture: it somehow exists, but still it doesn’t. Makes sense, right?
Szymon Drobniak
A Cat’s Point of View
World + People
Nature

A Cat’s Point of View

Cats can’t detect colors like we can, but their glowing eyes see perfectly well at night.
Szymon Drobniak
You’ll Never Believe It!
World + People
Outer Space

You’ll Never Believe It!

So why has there been so much talk lately of people not believing in science? Several hundred years of science in practice, and 100% effectiveness (sooner or later) in rejecting erroneous ideas and hypotheses—are these not sufficient arguments for abandoning the notion of “faith in science” and simply trusting it?
Szymon Drobniak
Full of Light
World + People
Nature

Full of Light

White is a reflection of all the colors of the rainbow. This is probably why it is so difficult to find it in a perfect, unblemished form.
Szymon Drobniak
For Your Eyes Only
Art + Stories
Experiences

For Your Eyes Only

The multicolored arches that appear in the sky are optical rather than physical phenomena—and as such are unique to the eyes of each viewer.
Szymon Drobniak
Orange Planet
Art + Stories
Experiences

Orange Planet

Positioned between red and yellow, this fiery hue is often hidden in plain sight—be it in the paint decorating the Golden Gate Bridge or on the leaves of most plants.
Szymon Drobniak
The Chemistry of Tea
Soul + Body
Good Food

The Chemistry of Tea

Behind the seemingly simple cup of tea—one of the world’s most popular infusions—lies a plethora of complex biochemical processes.
Szymon Drobniak
The Mystery of the Eider
World + People
Science

The Mystery of the Eider

Contemporary research papers are often stripped of emotion, but they needn’t be—as the joy of investigating colorful duck feathers shows.
Szymon Drobniak
The Chemistry of Blue
World + People
Nature

The Chemistry of Blue

It may feel like a ubiquitous presence in the sky and sea, yet the cerulean shade is surprisingly rare—and difficult to produce—among living organisms.
Szymon Drobniak