SEM (Scanning Electron Microscope) Inspired Art Gallery

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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Virus particles and bacteria, SEM

Vaccinia virus particles and bacteria. Coloured scanning electron micrograph (SEM) of vaccinia virus particles (green). Unlike most viruses, vaccinia replicates in the cells cytoplasm, rather than the nucleus. Vaccinia belongs to the orthopoxvirus group. It causes cowpox, a disease of cattle and humans that produces skin lesions. It was first used by Jenner in 1796 to vaccinate against smallpox, a related but more deadly human disease. There are approximately ten times as many bacterial cells in the human flora as there are human cells in the body, with the largest number of the human flora being in the gut flora, and a large number on the skin. Magnification: x12000 when printed at 10 centimetres wide

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Spinal cord, LM

Spinal cord. Light micrograph (LM) of a cross-section through the human spinal cord in the lumbar region. The spinal cord consists of a butterfly-shaped core (dark blue) known as grey matter, which consists of nerve cells. Surrounding the grey matter is a larger region of white matter, made up of myelinated nerve fibre bundles or tracts. It is the white matter which is largely responsible for transmitting impulses. The spinal cord is wrapped in three layers of membrane called the meninges (outer edge). The cord extends from the stem of the brain to vertebrae of the lower back; 31 pairs of nerves arise along its length (visible in the space between the cord and the meninges), carrying information to and from the brain and body. Magnification: x20 at 10 cm wide

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