Small Wonders: Finalists From the Nikon Small World Competition
October 6, 2009 10:23 AM Subscribe
Good news: The Whelk... it won't take much blood and you can probably re-use the same soul several times to satisfy any sacrificial needs your new (tiny) diety may have...
posted by Nanukthedog at 10:34 AM on October 6, 2009
posted by Nanukthedog at 10:34 AM on October 6, 2009
that snowflake looks nothing like the ones I make out of construction paper. I assume it was a mistaken label on the part of the photographer, what a fool.
awesome find, anyone got a link to the types of apparatus these people use?
posted by Think_Long at 10:34 AM on October 6, 2009
awesome find, anyone got a link to the types of apparatus these people use?
posted by Think_Long at 10:34 AM on October 6, 2009
that snowflake looks nothing like the ones I make out of construction paper. I assume it was a mistaken label on the part of the photographer, what a fool.
Ice crystals can grow into the dendritic shapes that you're familiar with from construction paper; they can also form hexagonal prisms like the one shown here. Here's a useful primer. Here's the relevant phase diagram.
awesome find, anyone got a link to the types of apparatus these people use?
The technique used is listed with each image; there should be an informative wikipedia article for every technique. For example: differential interference contrast and confocal fluorescent microscopy.
posted by mr_roboto at 10:46 AM on October 6, 2009 [2 favorites]
Ice crystals can grow into the dendritic shapes that you're familiar with from construction paper; they can also form hexagonal prisms like the one shown here. Here's a useful primer. Here's the relevant phase diagram.
awesome find, anyone got a link to the types of apparatus these people use?
The technique used is listed with each image; there should be an informative wikipedia article for every technique. For example: differential interference contrast and confocal fluorescent microscopy.
posted by mr_roboto at 10:46 AM on October 6, 2009 [2 favorites]
Amazing how human-looking a Zebrafish embryo looks.
Or, rather, amazing how Zebrafish-looking a human embryo looks.
posted by five fresh fish at 10:57 AM on October 6, 2009
Or, rather, amazing how Zebrafish-looking a human embryo looks.
posted by five fresh fish at 10:57 AM on October 6, 2009
I, however, look like a guppy embryo, all sparkly and shiney and with one massive eyeball peering out at you.
posted by five fresh fish at 11:03 AM on October 6, 2009
posted by five fresh fish at 11:03 AM on October 6, 2009
The dinosaur bone pic would make a good abstract painting
posted by rocket88 at 11:10 AM on October 6, 2009
posted by rocket88 at 11:10 AM on October 6, 2009
are we the only beings who yearn?
posted by Lipstick Thespian at 11:11 AM on October 6, 2009
posted by Lipstick Thespian at 11:11 AM on October 6, 2009
You could tell me that the dinosaur bone pic was some kind of salt marsh or volcanic springs from high altitude and I'd probably buy it.
posted by Artw at 11:13 AM on October 6, 2009
posted by Artw at 11:13 AM on October 6, 2009
Interesting how only one of these is a fluorescence image; a few years ago it seemed that this competition was dominated by confocal microscopy, but these are mostly transmitted or reflected light. I especially like the cunning combinations of both - that's a kind of technique I've never played with. All of them are gorgeous but that fly larva is one of the most splendid images ever.
posted by nowonmai at 11:21 AM on October 6, 2009
posted by nowonmai at 11:21 AM on October 6, 2009
This one time I saw a video of a really big snail egg. The thing had to be the size of a BB! These two people were going to break into it and see why it was so big. You wouldn't believe what was inside it...another snail egg!
Fine, you're only not impressed because the damn thing is transparent and you knew where the story was going. It would have been cooler if it was something like a chicken egg, but you'll never see that.
posted by cjorgensen at 11:33 AM on October 6, 2009 [1 favorite]
Fine, you're only not impressed because the damn thing is transparent and you knew where the story was going. It would have been cooler if it was something like a chicken egg, but you'll never see that.
posted by cjorgensen at 11:33 AM on October 6, 2009 [1 favorite]
Very cool! The aquatic larve looks like the next Lady GaGa outfit.
posted by stormpooper at 11:37 AM on October 6, 2009 [1 favorite]
posted by stormpooper at 11:37 AM on October 6, 2009 [1 favorite]
That Atherix ibis larva looks like something I should be bowing before and presenting gifts of blood and souls.
He's clearly a salesman larva, peddling his suitcase of junk across microspace. Note the bags under his fourteen eyes, the row upon row of bleached teeth, and his hundred appendages frilled into a miniature Alamo of "air guns." It goes: dump a trillion square angstroms of timeshares, get promoted to chrysalis, and then, maybe, your wings.
WELL HEY THERE. DUST MOTE GLENGARRY-Z43 IS A SLAM DUNK, AM I RIGHT. HOLD ON I HAVE TO TAKE THIS.
posted by kid ichorous at 11:38 AM on October 6, 2009 [1 favorite]
He's clearly a salesman larva, peddling his suitcase of junk across microspace. Note the bags under his fourteen eyes, the row upon row of bleached teeth, and his hundred appendages frilled into a miniature Alamo of "air guns." It goes: dump a trillion square angstroms of timeshares, get promoted to chrysalis, and then, maybe, your wings.
WELL HEY THERE. DUST MOTE GLENGARRY-Z43 IS A SLAM DUNK, AM I RIGHT. HOLD ON I HAVE TO TAKE THIS.
posted by kid ichorous at 11:38 AM on October 6, 2009 [1 favorite]
Lovely. Thanks.
posted by CunningLinguist at 12:17 PM on October 6, 2009
posted by CunningLinguist at 12:17 PM on October 6, 2009
From the gnarly details of mr_roboto's extremely cool link:
And thus it's unlikely that any two complex snow crystals, out of all those made over the entire history of the planet, have ever looked completely alike.
posted by bukvich at 1:01 PM on October 6, 2009
And thus it's unlikely that any two complex snow crystals, out of all those made over the entire history of the planet, have ever looked completely alike.
posted by bukvich at 1:01 PM on October 6, 2009
It's nice to see artistic scientific photos. Beautiful!
posted by smartypantz at 2:38 PM on October 6, 2009
posted by smartypantz at 2:38 PM on October 6, 2009
Much more impressive than I was expecting. Even images that didn't grab me on first glance (spiny southistle) weren't quite scrolled away before I had to go back for a closer look. Fantastic.
posted by Durn Bronzefist at 3:19 PM on October 6, 2009
posted by Durn Bronzefist at 3:19 PM on October 6, 2009
Amazing how human-looking a Zebrafish embryo looks. ... Or, rather, amazing how Zebrafish-looking a human embryo looks.
That's one of the tricks ol' Herant Katchadourian used to pull in his (overrated) Intro to Human Sexuality class.
He'd start with a picture of a 36-week-old fetus and ask "Is this a human baby? With all the legal rights we have?" and students would vote yes/no. He'd then move the time back and show the fetus at 25 weeks, 20 weeks, etc. At some point, he'd switch the pictures to a mouse fetus (or embryo, not sure at what age he switched) and laugh at all the people who still voted yes. I thought it was a pretty cheap trick. TRUE STORY.
Anyway, cool photos!
posted by mrgrimm at 3:26 PM on October 6, 2009 [2 favorites]
That's one of the tricks ol' Herant Katchadourian used to pull in his (overrated) Intro to Human Sexuality class.
He'd start with a picture of a 36-week-old fetus and ask "Is this a human baby? With all the legal rights we have?" and students would vote yes/no. He'd then move the time back and show the fetus at 25 weeks, 20 weeks, etc. At some point, he'd switch the pictures to a mouse fetus (or embryo, not sure at what age he switched) and laugh at all the people who still voted yes. I thought it was a pretty cheap trick. TRUE STORY.
Anyway, cool photos!
posted by mrgrimm at 3:26 PM on October 6, 2009 [2 favorites]
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Seriously cool find geoff!
posted by The Whelk at 10:31 AM on October 6, 2009 [1 favorite]