Artist Odra Noel, who trained as a doctor, combines art and science in The Map of Health, where she draws the map of the world using the cellular structures of various human tissues (and how they relate to various diseases) to represent each continents. Link - via NewScientist
North America struggles with rising obesity, and this adipose tissue (fat) is more beautiful close up than you would imagine.
Europe, with its ageing population, suffers greatly from neurodegenerative diseases, including dementia (neurones, brain tissue).
Great swathes of the middle East and central Asia are shown here as cardiac muscle (heart), as these regions are afflicted with rising levels of hypertension and other causes of heart and cardiovascular failure.
The far East and the Pacific look beautiful in pancreatic acinar tissue; its failure causes diabetes, a major problem in this area, frequently described as a diabetes epidemic.
Central and South America are represented here by pulmonary tissue (lungs); smoking and respiratory infections are a leading cause of death.
And Africa is made of blood here. The only continent where the leading cause of death are transmittable diseases (infections), notably malaria and HIV.
The only artery of the whole map is in the middle of Amazonia.
Noel also cleverly hid 5 mitochondria in the map. See if you can find it at the larger pic over at her website: Link