“To see a world in a grain of sand and heaven in a wildflower. Hold infinity in the palm of your hand and eternity in an hour.”
~ William Blake ~
If you ever saw the very first Superman movie and followed the caped Super Hero flying through and over what appeared to be the planet Krypton, you were witnessing the deft work of Dr. Gary Greenberg. For, indeed, what Superman was actually soaring above was in reality human pancreatic cancer cells transformed through the magic of Dr. Greenberg’s dramatically magnified micro photographic filmmaking. The brilliant biomedical researcher is the inventor of extraordinary, high-definition, three-dimensional light microscopes, for which he was issued eighteen U.S. patents.
Because of Dr. Greenberg—artist, scientist, biomedical researcher, inventor, writer, filmmaker—we now can become wide-eyed observers of nature in a way that we never imagined in our lives. His drive to truly “see” life up close takes us on a journey deep into the exquisite grains of sand gathered from around the world, as well as a bug’s eye view of exotic flowers, and even the magnificence of moon sand and dust collected from all six historic Apollo landings, and much, much more each documented in startling detail never before seen with the naked eye.
Seeing some of Dr. Greenberg’s up close works of art made me all the more determined to talk to him. Who was this man who now made it virtually impossible to ever look at a beach the same way? Could we ever imagine that all those glistening stretches along the shore were actually startling landscapes of delicate, jewel-like crystals, gem-like minerals and brilliant-colored coral fragments? How did Dr. Greenberg capture the natural world in such a breathtaking way?
I had to talk to him and did just that over the phone recently. He lives in Hawaii and was very open and comfortable to talk to, during an early a.m. chat.
What started you on this three dimensional path, Gary?
When I was around twelve or thirteen years old I received two gifts that changed my life. My grandfather gave me a book on Leonardo da Vinci that totally captured my imagination. And simultaneously, my father gave me a microscope. I remember feeling like a little kid with x-ray glasses. Fascinated by how things worked and looked up close, I began studying rocks and flowers, everything I could find and I haven’t stopped. I still do.
What is your main reason for combining science with art?
My mission is to bring the world of art and science together in people’s consciousness—to show the immense beauty of nature. We live within the most spectacular entity of the Universe, living laws set up by God. My work is a passionate expression of my own relationship with God. I am carving out my own path, following my own passion to show the connection we humans have with nature. When we commune with nature we become one with it all—aware of this link. Unfortunately, I think that in the Bible, Genesis #5 there are many passages speaking about “man’s dominion over nature” and just the word “dominion” is a way of setting up the human species to be superior over all of nature—not a connected to it. I don’t believe this at all. I believe we’re all part of each other.
So your art work—the books you create and talks you give, are doorways into which we can more deeply embrace nature and illustrate our connectedness to everything?
Yes, exactly. My hope is that once people understand how magnificent nature is they will value and care for it. The miracles of nature are tangible, and when we walk along a beach we are strolling upon thousands of years of biological and geological history.
Do you have hope for our world?
Hope for our planet, yes. But for humans, I don’t know. Most species only survive a few millions of years and then disappear.
What are you doing now to inspire others?
What does give me hope is what I’m doing now. I’m focusing on the next generation. Getting microscopes into the hands of students so that they will appreciate nature while they’re still young and hopefully will continue this awareness of the worlds within the worlds of nature—encompassing the micro world and the nano world within everything.
I hope you visit Dr. Greenberg’s website and discover as I have the dramatic landscapes of the hidden world surrounding us. His books and art work are collector’s items, and even his newest book is directed to young people inspiring them through a mystery using the microscope to reveal unforeseen clues.
If you love nature and are curious to see everything in a way you have never seen before in your life, welcome to the world of Dr. Gary Greenberg!
