Visualization Makes Things Real

Vision is the sense we most identify with: it tells us where we are, who we are talking to, what we are doing. It defines our world like no other sense. What we can see is real, for better or worse.

In 2003, Nigel Holmes was working on an information graphic on stem cells for Stanford Magazine. This was the result of extensive discussions with the scientists, in the course of which the subject of reproductive cloning had come up. Yet the graphic seemingly makes no mention of that topic.

Reading the copy carefully, you might notice an odd paragraph at the bottom that is very strongly worded for no obvious reason.

Stanford researchers adamantly oppose so-called “reproductive cloning” in which a blastocyst would be implanted in a woman’s uterus, perhaps leading to a pregnancy.

What had happened? In the first iteration of the diagram, Holmes drew figures of female and male humans at the bottom of this image, stating that, in theory, the process of cloning shown in the upper part of the diagram could produce a human being. Seeing this, the scientists at Stanford threatened in no uncertain terms to withdraw from the interview and disassociate themselves completely from anything that was written (or drawn).

But why? The “offending” human figures had a caption that clearly stated that the Stanford scientists had no intention of doing this, and rather believed that this should be banned. But they were so uncomfortable with the “reality” [...]