Images Dated 11th October 2004

Coloured SEM of beard stubble on a mans face

Shaved beard hair. Coloured Scanning Electron Micrograph (SEM) of beard stubble on a man's face. The hairs are embedded in skin, are cleanly cut, and have regrown after being shaved. Their short length would appear as stubble (a five o'clock shadow). A "wet shave" using a razor results in the hair ends being this cleanly cut. Magnification: x100 at 6x4.5cm size."

© POWER AND SYRED/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY

VLBA radio telescope

Hawaii VLBA radio telescope. Technician using a laptop computer below the dish antenna of one of the radio telescopes in the Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) network. This international network consists of ten telescopes located from Hawaii to the Virgin Islands. The VLBA network simulates a giant antenna by using interferometry techniques to combine the data obtained by the individual telescopes. Each antenna weighs 240 tonnes, is nearly as tall as a ten-storey building, and has a dish with a 25 metre diameter. The telescope obtains measurements of centimetre long radio wavelengths. This dish antenna is located on the extinct volcano Mauna Kea in Hawaii, USA

© G. BRAD LEWIS/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY

DH-3344 Kapok - Mature fruit splitting and releasing silky hairs embedded with seeds

DH-3344
Kapok - Mature fruit splitting and releasing silky hairs embedded with seeds
Manning Gorge in the Kimberleys, Western Australia.
Cochlospermum fraseri
Each seed has a parachute which can be dispersed by the wind. This species prefers rocky hill slopes and ridges. It flowers in the Dry Season at which time all leaves fall. After flowering green barrel-shaped fruits approximately 8cm long are produced. Australian aborigines used a bark and flower decoction which they drank for fevers. The mature hairy seeds were used for body decoration and stuffing for cushions.
Don Hadden
Please note that prints are for personal display purposes only and may not be reproduced in anyway

© Don Hadden/ardea.com