Science and Art Gallery

Gastropod microfossil, SEM

Gastropod. Coloured scanning electron micrograph (SEM) of a gastropod microfossil from maldives beach sand. Microfossils are roughly 0.05 to 2mm in size. These are the remains of complete organisms, the common ones are foraminifera and ostracods. Magnification: x 80 when printed at 10 centimetres wide

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The Periodic Table Digital Illustration

In the late 19th century, Russian chemist Dmitri Mendeleev published his first attempt at grouping chemical elements according to their atomic weights. There were only about 60 elements known at the time, but Mendeleev realized that when the elements were organized by weight, certain types of elements occurred in regular intervals, or periods.
Today chemists officially recognize 118 elements and still use Mendeleev's periodic table of elements to organize them. The table starts with the simplest atom, hydrogen, and then organizes the rest of the elements by atomic number, which is the number of protons each contains. With a handful of exceptions, the order of the elements corresponds with the increasing mass of each atom

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Dermestid beetle, SEM

Dermestid beetle. Scanning electron micrograph (SEM(=) of a dermestid beetle. Dermestidae are a family of Coleoptera that are commonly referred to as skin beetles. Other common names include larder beetle, hide or leather beetles, and carpet beetles. Adult dermestids commonly eat pollen and feed on various flowers. The larvae are the damaging life stage. Dermestids have a variety of habits; most genera are scavengers that feed on dry animal or plant material, such as skin or pollen, animal hair, feathers, dead insects and natural fibers. These beetles are significant in forensic entomology. Some species are pests and can cause extensive damage to natural fibers in homes and businesses. They are used in taxidermy and by natural history museums to clean animal skeletons. Magnification: x 40 at 10cm wide

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