Slinky proteins

(Photograph) - An exhibition at the University of Nottingham Arts Centre called "Molecules are life and art" aims "to show the link between molecules and everyday life", says its curator Cristina De Matteis of the department of pharmaceutical sciences and winner of the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council science communicator award. The silk dress above is made of a protein called beta-keratin, which because of its flat structure makes silk smooth to the touch.