microscopy Archives

a–c Raman measurement of the HV wall near a fluid channel. a Overlay of the Raman map with the corresponding SEM image. The Raman map is a superimposed image of three specific peaks. The Raman map shows that the brucite and Mg-carbonate crystals are discretely located in the wall, while carbonate ions were present in all regions, indicating the adsorption of carbonate ions by the brucite. b Raman spectra of surface crystals (blue) and HV wall (red) at the positions shown in (a, c). c Map of three specific Raman peaks, red: 442.6 cm−1 (brucite lattice vibration, A1g, width 47.5 cm−1), blue: 1109.7 cm−1 (carbonate, width 73.4 cm−1), and green: 3420.7 cm−1 (interlayered water, width 98.8 cm−1). The corresponding peaks are shown in the spectra in (b). -- Nature Communications

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Nanostructures In The Deep Ocean Floor Hint At Life’s Origin

by Keith CowingSeptember 27, 2024September 27, 2024

Researchers led by Ryuhei Nakamura at the RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science (CSRS) in Japan and The Earth-Life Science Institute (ELSI) of Tokyo Institute of Technology have discovered inorganic […]

Optical microscopy images of six filamentous microfossils. -- Scientific Reports

Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Fossils & Paleontology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Nomenclature, Systematics, Natural History, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release

Unveiling Ancient Life: New Method Sheds Light On Early Cellular And Metabolic Evolution

by Keith CowingSeptember 25, 2024September 25, 2024

Fossils don’t always come in large, dinosaur-sized packages. Microfossils refer to a type of fossil that is so small, it can only be perceived with a microscope. These microfossils can […]

A reconstruction of the internal anatomy of Y. yuanshi. (Emma J. Long)

Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Fossils & Paleontology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Microbiology & Virology, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release

520-million-year-old worm Fossil Solves Mystery Of How Modern Insects, Spiders and Crabs Evolved

by Keith CowingAugust 9, 2024August 9, 2024

A new study led by researchers at Durham University have uncovered an incredibly rare and detailed fossil, named Youti yuanshi, that gives a peek inside one of the earliest ancestors […]

Sample LLB0 (Feb 2017). Iberulite with potential biological features on its surface. a) Iberulite of 110 μm diameter and pseudo-spherical morphology. The surface appearance is compacted by an external rind where fine clay particles are predominant. The vortex (marked with V) can be observed. -- Science Direct

Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Microbiology & Virology, Status Report

Microbial Composition Of Saharan Dust Plumes Deposited As Red Rain In Granada, Southern Spain

by Keith CowingJuly 18, 2024July 7, 2024

During dust storms, also biological material is transported from arid areas such as the Sahara Desert. In the present work, rain samples containing significant amounts of mineral dust have been […]

Comparison of methods. Comparison of methods. Left: Machine learning approach. Right: Pipeline of standard image processing methods. More fossils are separated with the machine learning approach. -- Science Direct

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Tricorder Tech: A Novel AI Algorithm For Analyzing Microfossils

by Keith CowingJuly 17, 2024July 7, 2024

Editor’s note: the two large rovers NASA has in operation on Mars utilize AI – or Machine Learning – both on Earth and in some cases inside a rover itself […]

Trichogramma cacoeciae wasps imaged in vivo with the BM system. (A) Volume rendering of tomographic data of a first Trichogramma individual inside its parasitized moth egg (Sitotroga cerealella). The egg shell (yellow) was sliced virtually to visualize the wasp (gray) inside the egg. (B)–(D) Phase reconstructed radiograms of a second individual emerging from its host egg (full series in Visualization 2). (E), (F) Flexible movement of mandibles, observed in a third individual (full series in Visualization 3). The arrows indicate that the wasp moves its mandibles independently from each other. - Optica

Exploration Gear & Tech, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Press Release, Tricorders & Sensors

Tricorder Tech: X-ray Method Enables Micron-resolution Imaging Of Living Organisms Over Long Time Periods

by Keith CowingJuly 9, 2024July 6, 2024

Editor’s note: as we send increasingly sophisticated astrobiology probes – to more places – often at much greater distances – they will need to be able to do more and […]

SEM image of ADI (7×10-5 M) in water after addition of EG (EG /water (molar ratio) = 0.1%) at 117K. -- Angewandte Chemie

Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Icy Worlds, Nanotechnology & SynBio, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Prebiotic Chemistry: New Probe Reveals Water-ice Microstructures

by Keith CowingJuly 7, 2024July 6, 2024

Ice is believed to have played a crucial role in the emergence of life. One reason is that organic molecules can be excluded into the gaps between the crystal lattice […]

Super-resolved photonic force microscopy for detecting ultra-weak interaction forces between nanoparticles and surfaces -- CREDIT Lei Ding

Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exploration Gear & Tech, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Missions & Hardware, Nanotechnology & SynBio, Press Release, Tricorders & Sensors

Tricorder Tech: Breakthrough In Nanoscale Force Measurement Opens Doors To Unprecedented Biological Insights

by Keith CowingJune 22, 2024June 22, 2024

Editor’s note: as we send increasingly sophisticated astrobiology probes – to more places – often at much greater distances – they will need to be able to do more and […]

(i) Flight-Scope and (ii) syringe pump inside the Zarges box with (iii) three syringe rack holders, also depicted in the rightmost red outline, each holding a sample set, depicted in the leftmost red outline with (iv) primed glucose inlet tubing and (v) stowed outlet balloons. -- biorxiv.org

Exploration Gear & Tech, Gravitational Biology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Microgravity, Missions & Hardware, Space Life Science, Space Stations, Status Report, Tricorders & Sensors

Flight-Scope: Microscopy With Microfluidics In Microgravity

by Keith CowingJune 19, 2024June 19, 2024

With the European Space Agency (ESA) and NASA working to return humans to the moon and onwards to Mars, it has never been more important to study the impact of […]

Field emission scanning electron microscopy images of “Grotta Catanese I” (GC) samples. Representative FESEM images of the studied samples, depicting A Actinobacteria-like coccoid (with 1-μm diameter) and rod-shaped cells with spiny ornamentation (GC1_1A); B filaments with hairy ornamentation, intermingled with coccoid cells (GC1_1A); and C, D clusters of the diatom Orthoseira roeseana and Humidophila (GC1_2) -- Microbial Ecology via PubMed

Away Teams & Field Reports, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Caves, Craters, Mountains, Subsurface, Lava Tubes, Exploration Gear & Tech, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Habitable Zones, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Microbiology & Virology, Polar / Alpine Expeditions, Status Report

First Insights Into The Bacterial Diversity of Mount Etna Volcanic Caves

by Keith CowingJune 13, 2024June 13, 2024

While microbial communities in limestone caves across the world are relatively understood, knowledge of the microbial composition in lava tubes is lagging behind. These caves are found in volcanic regions […]

microscopy

Nanostructures In The Deep Ocean Floor Hint At Life’s Origin

Unveiling Ancient Life: New Method Sheds Light On Early Cellular And Metabolic Evolution

520-million-year-old worm Fossil Solves Mystery Of How Modern Insects, Spiders and Crabs Evolved

Microbial Composition Of Saharan Dust Plumes Deposited As Red Rain In Granada, Southern Spain

Tricorder Tech: A Novel AI Algorithm For Analyzing Microfossils

Tricorder Tech: X-ray Method Enables Micron-resolution Imaging Of Living Organisms Over Long Time Periods

Prebiotic Chemistry: New Probe Reveals Water-ice Microstructures

Tricorder Tech: Breakthrough In Nanoscale Force Measurement Opens Doors To Unprecedented Biological Insights

Flight-Scope: Microscopy With Microfluidics In Microgravity

First Insights Into The Bacterial Diversity of Mount Etna Volcanic Caves

Material Cycling Across Earth’s Spheres And Triggers Of Cambrian Explosion: A Tectonic Perspective

Where Does Earth’s Nitrogen Go? Two Atoms Offer A Clue

Exotic Methanol Discovered In Planet-Building Zones

More Than One Thousand TESS Planets

First Detection Of Variable Water Clouds Outside Of Our Solar System