July Gallery

15 Jul 1991

© A.B. DOWSETT/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY

Biology, Common Cold Virus, Micro Biology, Rhinovirus, Virology, Virus, Viruses

Thermogram of head

SEPT 2006 Thermogram of a head. Thermography is an imaging technique for mapping the heat distribution over the surface of a body. Here, the colour-coded image shows temperature variation in 0.1 degree celsius steps (see scale at left), where blue corresponds to the colder areas and yellow corresponds to the hotter areas. Thermography has proved useful in manufacturing and medicine (where it may reveal disorders such as tumours and arthritis). It was developed by the military in the 1970's and 1980's to assist night vision; the solid state sensors used in the thermograph can detect infra-red radiation even in darkness and/or smoke

© PASIEKA/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY

Illustration of the greenhouse effect

Illustration of the "greenhouse effect". The build-up of certain gases in the Earth's atmosphere traps an increased amount of solar radiation and leads to a gradual warming of the whole planet. The "greenhouse" gases include carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs). They are generated by a wide variety of human activities, including industry, the burning of fossil fuels, increased agriculture and modern agricultural methods, and deforestation. Global warming is expected to cause massive changes in weather patterns and a rise in sea level (due to the melting of polar ice) that could flood coastal cities and low-lying plains

© BILL SANDERSON/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY