A photomicrograph (or micrograph) is an image that is taken through a microscope, and we’ve covered a few of those on the blog including Nikon’s “Small World” competition, a traveller’s tale in a strange microscopic world, and an incredibly close-up look at insects. If you missed any of those, click here to see them.
North American scientific instruments company, FEI, is in the business of supplying electron microscopes to a various industries and it is the fantastic images taken by their line of scanning electron microscope (or SEM), that we’ll show you today. According FEI, their SEMs can magnify 20 to 1,000,000 times better a light microscope and can be used in tasks that contain long scientific words such as 3D cellular ultrastructure, macromolecular localization, and 3D tissue imaging. The proof is really in the details. Hit the jump to see some of the FEI’s microscopic images.
Hydrothermal Worm
This cute critter is a marine organism found near hydrothermal vents in the ocean. It has been magnified 525 times.
Platinum Nano-Wire
This is a platinum wire that has been milled to 50 nanometres in diameter. It is to be used a gas sensor.
Human Tooth
Dentin is found in teeth and comprises tiny channels called dentinal tubules. This images shows those tubules.
Biofilm
This images shows a biofilm that has developed on carbon steel after 14 days of immersion in seawater.
Canyon
This is what happens when you cut a semiconductor at a sloping angle.
Silver and Copper
These colourfully geometric objects are silver particles and copper crystals.
Catepillar Mouth
A catepillar’s mouth and sensory organs are shown here.
Sponge Spicule
This is an image of a spicule as found in a South African sponge (the animal, and not the dish-washing implement).
Crystal Ocean
These are copper crystals on a copper surface.
Nanoflowers
These flowers have been obtained through hydrothermal synthesis, a process of growing crystals from aqueous solutions.
See more wonderful images taken by electron microscopes on the FEI website or on Flickr.
[via James Francis on Twitter]
4 replies on “Amazing Electron Microscope Images”
you have’ta believe there is a God when you see stuff like this? so much detail. :-))
The atheists may challenge you on that one ;)
It’s funny how some of these look like they are computer generated! I know they are real but its quite something.
Yes I agree, and actually the color is added digitally since electrons are not sensitive to the the color of objects. Also the lighting looks “unnatural” because of the nature of the secondary electron detector which is used to take some of these pictures.