Zoom and Enhance: Incredibly Close-up Insect Images

By prawn1 March 9th, 2010

Word around the scientific cooler is that the Scanning Electron Microscope (or SEM) can magnify images 250 times better than a light microscope. The expensive bit of kit valued up to 500,000 pounds blasts materials with a high-energy beam of electrons and the messages sent back build up a super-detailed image.

Retired scientific photographer Steve Gschmeissner gets to play with this high-tech toy and has produced some amazing close-up images of insects. Check out some of his shots after the jump.

The head of a human flea

The head of a Jumping Spider

The head of a tropical caterpillar

A dog flea

A wasp’s head

See more detailed insect images at the Telegraph.

[via MAVADO]

BONUS: This excerpt from the documentary “The Invisible World” may interest/disgust you:

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3 Comments

Tyrone (Reply) on March 10th, 2010

These look soooo cool but I hate insects >.< Not quite sure if this is helping or not :P Lol
Tyrone (Reply) on March 10th, 2010

Also.. Thanks for that video… That definitely does NOT help xP It’s made me want to go shower… til next year :( Only thing stopping me is the knowledge that it wouldn’t help it all… Which is not comforting at all
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