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Nature 449, 146 (13 September 2007) | doi:10.1038/449146a; Published online 12 September 2007

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Science in culture: Heaven in grains of sand

Martin Kemp1

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Nanoscientists and Tibetan monks unite to explore the mysteries of the mandala.

Western religious art from the time of ancient Greece has generally relied on the representation of the human figure. But in many world cultures, especially those that proscribe the literal depiction of any deity, symbolic schemata and patterns have been used to express the truths of spiritual life.