Electron microscopic motifs of biological structures. In Photoshop lavishly colored. Large-format art calendar printed in high quality: special fluorescent colours, UV clearcoat finish. Manual wire-o-ring binding.
The image shows a plant which has been infected by a Rust fungus. After reproduction of the fungus, it produces fruitbodies which are perforating through the epidermal layer of the plant leaf to release the tiny spores. Rust fungus are a dangerous threat for crop monocultures, e.g. soy or wheat.
A colorized electron microscope image captures delicate chains of Streptococcus pneumoniae in a laboratory sample. Though some strep infections can be deadly, many strains are harmless�among the thousands of benign beings that make their home in our bodies.
Female mosquitos (Culex pipiens) lay clumps of eggs (i.e. �egg rafts�) in standing water. Egg-rafts float for 2-3 days, until the larvae hatch. The water repellent nature of the egg is generated by microscopically small structures, which trap a thin layer of air.
Land plants have life cycles in which a haploid gemetophyte generation alternates with a diploid sporophyte. In spiral mosses (Bryopsida sp.), the gametophyte is the dominant generation which is rarely the case in other species, and the sporophyte grows from the tip of a gametophyte. Sporocytes consist of a sporangium and a stalk. The Sporangium (or capsule) contains thousands of tiny spores which are released and distributed by the wind, after the lid dries, shrinks and springs open.
Sweat is released throughout the day to keep the skin moist and supple. Sweat itself is odorless, but creates a beneficial environment for certain bacteria species to grow and produce bad-smelling substances. The same species are naturally present on our skin as part of the human microbial flora, but in rather low numbers. Some shoes and socks can inhibit evaporation and thus increase the amount of sweat you produce, thereby providing the perfect environment for �stinky-feet-bacteria� to thrive. Since our feet have more sweat glands than on any other part of the body they typically start to smell bad first.
Heather flower sepal. Colour scanning electron micrograph (SEM) of a sepal, an adapted leaf, on the flower of a heather (Erica sp.) plant. Many plants have developed highly structured water-repellent and self-cleaning surfaces, which avoid the plant to shed debris when during rain. Man-made reconstructions of such structures would have many beneficial uses in our daily lives, agriculture, and industry. Therefore mimicking nature has been a central strategy in the research field of biomimetics (Bionik) for many years.
Butterfly wings (Lepidoptera sp.) are covered with �dust� that can easily be scratched off. Under the microscope it can be seen that this dust is made of small symmetrical scales that cover each other like rooftails. These scales are evolutionarily derived from hairs.
Scanning electron microscope (SEM) image of the mouth parts of a mosquito larva (family Culicidae). The collection of hairs (purple) are feeding structures used to filter water. The hairs beat through the water filtering out algae, bacteria and other micro-organisms that the larva feeds on.
The surface of the olive tree leaf is covered by trichomes (hairs that resemble umbrellas). The function of the trichomes is to provide shade and safe water. They can also recycle water, which is lost during transpiration through the stoma.
Human (Homo sapiens) blood cells 120 seconds after initiation of the blood coagulation process. Once the blood starts to clot, the fibrin network is quickly built up and helps to stop the bleeding and to finally close the wound. What you can see her are cells from the author� This work is also available in the horizontal direction.
Insect eggs show stunning surface structures. Because of the many dangers, insects produce a lot of eggs equipped with thick shells. To guarantee sufficient oxygene diffusion during the development of the embryo caterpillar, butterflies have developped beautiful and heavily ornamented networks of interconnected pores, called the aeropyle system. The aeropyle system of the tropical Zebralongwing butterfly (Heliconius charithonia) possesses a prominently patterned egg surface.
Conifers have needles instead of leafs, which are also green and photosynthetically active. Depending on the species they persist 1.5-40 years and must be much more stably built than leafs of deciduous trees.
Pollen grains with Ubisch bodies (yellow dots). The pollen grains belong to the Japanese Cedar (Cryptomeria japonica). They are highly allergic and go through major structural change when exposed to nasal discharge, exposing allergens from inside the pollen grain and from the Ubisch bodies.
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