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This awesome piece of nano-art shows dislocations in an arrangement of nano-crystals, each one 300 times smaller than a human hair. But it looks like the micro-universe is about to break into our own. More »
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Here's a microscopy image of a fibroblast, stained with a few different antibodies. The green is microtubuli, the red is cell-contacts and the blue is DNA. It's just one of Jan Schmoranzer's amazing nano-art images. More »
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These luminous shapes are cardiac fibroblasts from a newborn rat, suspended in a collagen-thick film which is stimulating the environment around the cells. This makes them express a protein called DDR2, which scientists believe help cells to sense their surroundings and signal to the cells that they need to remodel themselves in response. The blue part is the cell nucleus, the green part is the cell's cytoskeleton and the red staining is the DDR2 at work. This image is just one of Chris Robinson's last-minute entries in the 21st. NanoArt competition, which have become my favorite entrants. Click through to view the others. More »
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Not only could we use algae as a new fuel source soon, but we also might use it to create better nanotechnology. Diatoms, tiny phytoplanktons, come encased in a unique cell wall made out of silica, which has pores and channels that increase its surface area dramatically. Using the existing complexity of these natural structures in nature could be a cheap way to make "lab-on-a-chip" systems for micro-analysis... without any industrial chemical processes. Diatom image by Peter Webber, from Nikon Small World. [Nanowerk] More »
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When things go wrong at the nano-scale, it can yield the coolest images. Like this failed oxidation of a piece of silicon, which went south because the artists didn't use enough chromium. Some of the nano-art in the 21st Nano Art Competition looks a tad cheesy and fake, but the best contenders show off something unexpected (and maybe migraine-inducing) that really happened in the lab. Check out more of our favorites after the jump, and vote for your favorite here. More »
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