io9: electron microscope

Titan 80-300 Cubed is the Most Badass of All Microscopes

Ed Grabianowski — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 10:13:26 PDT

You are looking at the most powerful electron microscope on Earth. Housed at MacMaster University in Ontario, Canada, the Titan 80-300 Cubed will allow researchers to peer into the workings of molecules and atoms on a scale never before possible. What they find with the ultra microscope could revolutionize material science, medicine and energy production.

A transmission electron microscope like the Titan doesn't produce a visual image directly. Instead, it fires a focused electron beam through the viewing material. Some electrons pass through, some are deflected. Sensors on the other side detect the electrons and can produce a spatial image, like the image of a surgical mesh above. The Titan achieves amazingly high resolution by using devices that correct spherical aberration and can produce an extremely narrow wavelength electron beam. It's so sensitive that the building will be isolated from sound and vibration, and the operator can't even be in the same room as the microscope.

Seeing the molecular structure of objects with such fine detail will be a boon to nanotech. MacMaster reports that the Titan will be used for research in a variety of fields:

The microscope will be used to help produce more efficient lighting and better solar cells, study proteins and drug-delivery materials to target cancers. It will assess atmospheric particulates, and help create lighter and stronger automotive materials, more effective cosmetics, and higher density memory storage for faster electronic and telecommunication devices.

Image by: National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering.

McMaster University unveils world's most advanced microscope. [EurekAlerts!]

2008 Science Visualization Challenge Reveals the Teeth in a Squid's Suckers

Ed Grabianowski — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 07:00:00 PDT

What you see above are actually the suckers on the arm of a squid, captured with an electron microscope. The color was added for the obvious effect. The National Science Foundation and the journal Science have announced the winners of the 6th annual International Science & Engineering Visualization Challenge. Incredibly talented scientist/artists wielding electron microscopes and more esoteric methods created a bunch of exceptionally cool images, such as this shot of Yog-Sothoth gibbering madly as he tries to force his way into our dimension.

If you head over to the Science website, you can see a slideshow with a bunch of the winning images, plus a podcast about the competition, and more info about the methods used to get the images.

There's an amazing 3D illustration of the human circulatory system and some innovative infographics, but my favorite is probably a cancer cell imaged with an electron microscope surface scan. After each scan, an ion blast shaved 20 nanometers off the cell, then another scan was taken. You can see a reduced scale version of the resulting 3D masterpiece at left, but be sure to check out the full-size version over at Science. Images by: Science/NSF.

Winners of Science Visualization Challenge announced. [Nobel Intent]

Tentacled Fungus Attacks The Microverse

charliejane — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 11:30:00 PST

This creepy monster skull is actually a snapdragon seed pod, magnified by an electron microscope. Just as you'd always suspected, the microscopic world turns out to contain nothing but slimy textures and sinister craggy shapes, judging from Karin Jones' haunting microscopy photos.

Just check out the image of a fungal growth attacking another snapdragon seed pod: its tentacles pulsate with a slick malevolence.