PLANTS
RELEASE THE SPORESμ
Spore capsule of a moss, magnification unspecified
Behold the biological storage solution of a Bryum moss. This
‘capsule’ sits atop a long stalk that raises it above the rest of
the ground-hugging plant. When the time is right (that is, when
the air isn’t too wet), the tentacle-like canopy retracts to release
thousands of reproductive spores stored in the capsule. The spores
are dispersed through the air by the wind and those that land in
damp, favourable soil will go on to make new mosses.
Henri Koskinen, Helsinki, FinlandGEMSTONE
TERRINE ¶
Fairburn agate from the Black
Hills of South Dakota, 63x
The orange bands in this image are from
Fairburn agate, a gemstone made of
silica (silicon and oxygen). Named after
a small town in South Dakota where it
is commonly found, the stone is richly
coloured by impurities in the rock. Rusty
oranges like this are often caused by iron
oxides. The largest intact specimens weigh
over 20kg and the stone is so popular
among collectors that South Dakota named
Fairburn agate its ‘state gemstone’ in 1966.
Douglas Moore, University of
Wisconsin, Wisconsin, USACRYSTAL FINGERPRINT º
Chiral thermotropic liquid crystal, 20x
This image shows not an aerial view of the
world’s most fiendish hedge maze, but
the spiralling patterns formed by a liquid
crystal. Crystals like this one are said to
be ‘thermotropic’ – that is, they only exist
within a certain range of temperatures. Too
cold and the mixture forms a glass-like
solid. Too hot and the delicate structures
break down. Here, the temperature of the
crystal is just right, causing it to form arms
and threads that spiral around each
other in mind-bending patterns.
Dr Giuliano Zanchetta, Dept
of Medical Biotechnology,
University of Milan, ItalySCIENCE
7676 Vol. 8 Issue 3Vol. 8 Issue 3