Building plans for life - 3D models by Mieke Roth
On March 29, 2025, the exhibition 'Building plans for life - 3D models by Mieke Roth' will open in the Natural History Museum in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. The exhibition focuses on the work of Mieke Roth, CEO and co-founder of Anitomical, who has specialized in making 3D anatomical models of animals since 2012. These models can be seen in Rotterdam in digital and physical form.
Mieke Roth provides insight into the fascinating world of animal anatomy in a beautiful way. Her 3D models look like works of art, but are all scientifically correct. Once you know how to look, you will recognize in each model the life functions that the animal has developed for breathing, digesting food, locomotion and reproduction, among other things.
Mieke Roth dissects animals and uses data from scientific literature as a basis for her work. Using that data, she builds the models with 3D software. Biologists worldwide review the models to ensure that everything is scientifically correct.
The core of this exhibition is formed by 3D prints of her digital models – from a hugely enlarged water flea to a full-size dogfish. For example, it is easy to see how the digestive organs or sexual organs – which have the same colors in every model – of a pond snail differ from those of a squid or an octopus.
Mieke Roth studied Animal Sciences in Wageningen and in 2012 specialized in making digital 3D anatomical animal models for universities, knowledge institutions and museums worldwide. In 2024 she founded the company Anitomical together with Paul Schilperoord. Anitomical makes anatomical 3D models of animals that make biology education and scientific research more insightful and efficient – and reduce the use of animals for dissecting classes.
'Building plans for life – 3D models by Mieke Roth' can be seen from March 29 to August 31, 2025.
