tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-40988926501642731792012-02-09T03:22:50.373-08:00Visions From The World Of ScienceScience Photohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14463149552298550677noreply@blogger.comBlogger291100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4098892650164273179.post-34049647248658663102009-02-11T07:09:00.000-08:002009-02-11T07:40:54.218-08:00

Happy anniversary Charles Robert Darwin. This year, 2009, celebrates 200 years since his birth and 150 years since he published his revolutionary book: On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection.There are hundreds of websites that celebrate the life and work of Charles Darwin. Some of the best include:The Natural History Museum's Darwin 200 website.The journal Science has a cool

Science Photohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14463149552298550677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4098892650164273179.post-38970970948728812712008-12-03T02:38:00.000-08:002008-12-03T03:21:26.343-08:00

Every schoolchild learns that no two snowflakes are identical. But how do you see snowflakes up close? It's not as easy as you might think. The first problem to overcome is capturing your flakes, or harder still, making your own. Then you have to light and magnify them without any melting, and finally take a photo without your lens misting up.Luckily, there are some handy tutorials on the web and

Science Photohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14463149552298550677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4098892650164273179.post-28288878321554755932008-09-09T09:00:00.000-07:002008-09-09T09:03:27.909-07:00

It may not be the most exciting looking animal in the world, but tardigrades, or the water bear as it is commonly known, is a fascinating creature that exhibits some truly remarkable abilities.These tiny animals, closely related to arthropods (insects, spiders and crustaceans) measure between 0.1 - 1.0 millimetres in length and live in oceans, ponds, lakes, puddles, just about anywhere that

Science Photohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14463149552298550677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4098892650164273179.post-5824281750231757802008-07-28T05:20:00.000-07:002008-12-11T22:53:36.782-08:00

It is always fun to present images that make the viewer scratch their heads and take a second look. The picture above could resemble mosaic tiles on a bathroom wall, or the close-up pixels of a digital photo. In actual fact the image is on a completely different scale. These are meadows and fields as seen by the Landsat-7 satellite, orbiting 705 kilometres above Earth.What appear to be tiny

Science Photohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14463149552298550677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4098892650164273179.post-36740229519550879502008-07-10T06:15:00.000-07:002008-07-10T06:32:47.945-07:00

Most viruses are so small that visible light waves are not fine enough to capture their image, so scientists use electron microscopes, x-rays and other methods that have a much finer resolution than light microscopes. Recent advances in computer power and software technology have enabled scientists to combine computing power with the large amounts of data generated by these high resolution

Science Photohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14463149552298550677noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4098892650164273179.post-5287823292198442032008-02-28T03:24:00.000-08:002008-02-28T03:46:29.575-08:00

This image was produced using a multi-slice CT (computed tomography) scanner, which uses a thin X-ray beam to scan around the patient collecting data from different angles to form digital 'slices' of the body. A computer reconstructs the slices into coloured three-dimensional images of bones and soft tissue. A contrast agent injected into the bloodstream allows blood vessels to be detected. This

Science Photohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14463149552298550677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4098892650164273179.post-56837153622367451212007-10-26T04:57:00.001-07:002007-10-26T05:05:42.739-07:00

The image here, produced by the excellent Hybrid Medical Animation, shows a chromosome with highlighted telomeres – the region of DNA found at the end of a chromosome. Telomeres act as a buffer and protect the cell from dividing too many times. Every time the cell divides, the telomeres shorten until they reach certain point when they instruct the cell to cease further cell division. In red blood

Science Photohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14463149552298550677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4098892650164273179.post-86948451920578139422007-10-18T07:27:00.000-07:002007-10-18T07:33:29.232-07:00

Extremophiles are organisms that exist in physical conditions that would be too hostile for other organisms. The organism pictured here is Cyanidium caldarium, a red alga only found in a few hot springs such as those from Yellowstone Park in Wyoming. C. caldarium can survive in temperatures up to 56 degrees C, but its real claim to fame is that it can grow in extremely acid conditions – pH0 -

Science Photohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14463149552298550677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4098892650164273179.post-51051956548847891952007-09-14T03:29:00.000-07:002007-09-14T03:49:41.411-07:00

This extraordinary schlieren image shows circular shockwaves from the travel of the bullet (moving at supersonic speeds) and the muzzle blast, as well as the white clouds of propellant gas. Schlieren photographs are used to visualise heat and airflow around objects. Changes in the density of air, caused here by turbulence, cause light to refract (bend), and show up in the image as differences in

Science Photohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14463149552298550677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4098892650164273179.post-9135992102994341292007-08-30T02:26:00.000-07:002007-08-30T02:30:07.125-07:00

This image shows the brain of a stroke victim taken by an MRA – magnetic resonance angiograph. This scanning technique reveals the location where a diseased or weakened blood vessel has ruptured causing blood to collect in the brain (coloured purple). The bleeding leads to death of brain tissue. Stroke is the biggest cause of disability in the UK and third biggest cause of death. There are two

Science Photohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14463149552298550677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4098892650164273179.post-27711609617367337882007-08-15T03:19:00.000-07:002007-08-15T03:36:13.228-07:00

Pond skaters, also known as water striders, exhibit the amazing ability of walking on water.The waxy coating on the insect and water surface tension may contribute to some of this ability, but it seems the key to this amazing water defying trick is mainly down to the millions of tiny microhairs that cover the pond skater’s legs. These hairs are highly water repellent, an effect known as

Science Photohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14463149552298550677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4098892650164273179.post-46035996226579663412007-08-03T06:01:00.000-07:002007-08-03T06:04:44.925-07:00

Stem cells are sometimes referred to as the body’s ‘master cells’ because they have the ability to generate into other cell types. Their most important role is to form new organs and tissues in the growing embryo. Stem cells are also present in the adult body, helping to repair and renew damaged tissue, but these cells are very sparse and usually dedicated only to the cell type of their origin.

Science Photohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14463149552298550677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4098892650164273179.post-43631723536204252972007-07-23T07:22:00.000-07:002007-07-23T07:24:08.202-07:00

MIT Professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics Dava Newman and her team of engineers and clothing designers have created a space suit for the future. Prof Newman is seen here jumping and modelling the suit. Today’s astronauts must use a very heavy gas-filled space suit – the same basic concept that has been around for 40 years. These devices give limited movement and are cumbersome to use. The

Science Photohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14463149552298550677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4098892650164273179.post-88531734131782274222007-07-16T04:58:00.000-07:002007-07-16T05:23:28.326-07:00

Flowers have evolved a number of incredibly clever methods of attracting pollinating insects.One of the most sophisticated, and convincing to a bee, is that of the bee orchid, Ophrys species. Not only does part of the flower (labellum) imitate the colour and shape of a bee, it also imitates the smell.In the early part of the season, male bees hunting for food and mates are attracted to the scent

Science Photohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14463149552298550677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4098892650164273179.post-9973112015567924032007-07-04T07:06:00.000-07:002007-07-04T07:24:47.696-07:00

This bloated and rather sinister looking creature is the common sheep tick (Ixodes ricinus). Despite it's name, the sheep tick can actually feast on the blood of dogs, deer, and a wide variety of other animals, including humans. The ticks are more than a nuisance bite however. Their saliva can contain viruses and bacteria that cause diseases such as Lyme Disease, louping ill and tick-borne

Science Photohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14463149552298550677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4098892650164273179.post-2548695833872314802007-06-26T04:19:00.000-07:002007-06-26T04:24:38.580-07:00

A mountain range overlooking a floodplain – that’s what the world might look like if you are the size of a virus. In actual fact, this image shows the surface of a cell plasma membrane, seen through the ‘eyes’ of an atomic force microscope (AFM). The ‘peaks’ correspond to proteins that are present on the membrane. These proteins can span the entire width of the lipid bilayer membrane, or they

Science Photohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14463149552298550677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4098892650164273179.post-50968527868145525722007-06-18T06:39:00.000-07:002007-06-18T06:57:47.237-07:00

Trying to fathom the sheer vastness and scale of events that occur within the cosmos is too much for most folks. Even to astrophysicists, the mathematical sums required to calculate events such as supernovae explosions or star formations, are too complex or intense to work out with pen and paper. Luckily for them, and for us who see these marvellous images, the power of supercomputers are being

Science Photohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14463149552298550677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4098892650164273179.post-79613749040253354202007-06-05T04:01:00.000-07:002007-06-05T04:07:35.421-07:00

Spider’s webs are undoubtedly one of nature’s most remarkable feats of engineering. Scientists and engineers are fascinated with many aspects of silk production; from the synthesis and super strength of the silk, to the ability of spiders not to get caught in their own glue. There is also the daily ritual that orb web spiders go through when constructing their webs. It is a subject that

Science Photohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14463149552298550677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4098892650164273179.post-81443390945156705562007-05-30T06:04:00.000-07:002007-05-30T06:09:52.910-07:00

Water fleas are one of the first creatures to delight children in biology class when they examine a drop of pond water under a simple microscope. But these crustaceans are more the simple pond life, they come in a large variety of shapes and sizes and some species are even an environmental hazard!The image above is by Dr Christian Laforsch. He has shown that water fleas can adapt to the presence

Science Photohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14463149552298550677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4098892650164273179.post-77768460341880226942007-05-22T07:42:00.000-07:002007-05-22T07:53:22.642-07:00

Another pretty image from the SPL files. Any guesses as to what this picture shows? Planetary nebula? Computer screensaver? The arc of lights patterns made by one of those plasma balls? No, all wrong. This is a computerised 3-D view through the inside of a patient’s carotid artery. The patient is suffering from stenosis, the narrowing of the artery by atheroma, fatty deposits (yellow) that

Science Photohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14463149552298550677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4098892650164273179.post-55220625810517240512007-05-16T02:56:00.000-07:002007-05-16T03:09:27.360-07:00

This beautiful painting shows an artist’s interpretation of HIV (the virus that causes AIDS) in blood serum. The virus, looming ominously like a pink Death Star, is studded on the surface with nobbly glycoproteins that are able to bind to target receptors onto T-lymphocyte cells (T cells). T cells are one of the body’s natural defence mechanisms against viral attack. Once attached, HIV injects

Science Photohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14463149552298550677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4098892650164273179.post-87460813847042986032007-05-15T05:39:00.000-07:002007-05-15T05:45:12.197-07:00

Many people are familiar with classic images of high speed photography – bursting balloons, bullets being fired through playing cards or droplets of milk in mid-splash. The pioneer of this type of photography was Harold Edgerton, an engineer from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, who experimented with high speed photography during the 1950’s. Edgerton combined multiple strobe lighting

Science Photohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14463149552298550677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4098892650164273179.post-53228033597384246322007-05-09T02:03:00.000-07:002007-05-09T02:09:22.783-07:00

Itchy eyelids? You could have parasites living at the base of your eyelashes. These incredibly small creatures, actually arachnids, are harmless Demodex mites. They were taken by microscopist, Andrew Syred. Measuring just 0.3mm long, they feed on dead skin cells and sebum oil at the base of hairs around the face, such as eyelashes, eyebrows, nose and ears. Many individuals can live in one hair

Science Photohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14463149552298550677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4098892650164273179.post-5211242666013093682007-05-03T05:54:00.000-07:002007-05-03T05:58:56.522-07:00

The popular Google Earth has opened the doors of satellite imagery to millions of people and it is now possible to see a high resolution satellite view of your home or office at a single keystroke. But the ability to view the ground from space at high resolution has existed for several decades. The image above shows Paris and was taken by the American KH-7 spy satellite in 1966! It was the first

Science Photohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14463149552298550677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4098892650164273179.post-72768301711755623162007-05-02T06:27:00.000-07:002007-05-02T06:37:14.664-07:00

Maths is not just about numbers. Mathematic equations also produce wonderful graphic images as this interpretation of a polynomial equation shows. It was produced by US computer scientist and mathematician Dr Bahman Kalantari. Using specially written software, Kalantari takes polynomial equations and transforms the graphs that they produce into colourful works of art, which he dubs ‘

Science Photohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14463149552298550677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4098892650164273179.post-86407766051977796492007-04-24T03:01:00.000-07:002007-04-24T03:25:46.567-07:00

They are the largest cave crystals in the world. The Cueva de los Cristales in Naica Mine, Chihuahua, Mexico, was only discovered in 2000 when the mine water was pumped out. The spectacular crystals, made of the selenite form of gypsum (calcium sulphate), formed over millions of years in the mineral-rich geothermally heated water that filled the caves. Photographing these amazing crystals was

Science Photohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14463149552298550677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4098892650164273179.post-43686752162459898862007-04-20T07:15:00.000-07:002007-04-20T07:20:41.939-07:00

If you stare at the bottom of an outdoor swimming pool on a sunny day, you will notice how the light rays form criss-crossing ripples and patterns. In physics, this is known as caustics. The energy is more concentrated in areas where the light rays overlap, creating brighter zones. Caustics have been used to explain the appearance of ‘rogue waves’, the sudden appearance of huge waves from

Science Photohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14463149552298550677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4098892650164273179.post-82495234990328927392007-04-16T03:31:00.000-07:002007-04-16T03:48:20.007-07:00

Scientific illustration has been transformed by the use of computers much in the same way that they have revolutionised other media, such as games, cinema and music. But computers and software are just tools. To really stand out, you still need a talent for the visual, as well as technical skill. This rendering of AIDS virus particles erupting from a lymphocyte cell was created by Hybrid Medical

Science Photohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14463149552298550677noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4098892650164273179.post-6562092887267134852007-04-13T03:27:00.000-07:002007-04-16T03:47:44.119-07:00

Is it me or does the hayfever season get earlier and earlier each year? Blame global warming for turning our winters milder and our summers hotter, or the increasing spread of non-native plants such as ragweed, which releases very nasty pollen. Whatever the cause, news that hayfever sufferers may take relief with an immunotherapy pill, rather than antihistamines, will be very welcome. Pollen

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