05 September 2010

BEE ~ Rose-Lynn Fisher's Close-Up SEM Photos

Thanks to Ariel Phillips for spotting Mito Habe-Evans's piece It's the Bee's Knees! (No, Really) at NPR including embedded slideshow of Rose-Lynn Fisher's electron microscope photos for her book BEE! (Viewing tip: expand to full-screen!-) From the book promo...
"Melding art and science, photographer Rose-Lynn Fisher puts this modern tool to creative use in order to reveal the microscopic majesty of these natural wonders. BEE presents sixty astonishing photographs of honeybee anatomy in magnifications ranging from 10x to 5000x. Rendered in stunning detail, Fisher's photographs uncover the strange beauty of the honeybee's pattern, form, and structure. Comprising 6,900 hexagonal lenses, their eyes resemble the structure of a honeycomb. The honeybee's proboscis -- a strawlike appendage used to suck nectar out of flowers, folds resembles a long, slender hairy tongue. Its six-legged exoskeleton is fuzzy with hairs that build up a static charge as the bee flies in order to electrically attract pollen. Wings clasp together with tiny hooks and a double-edged stinger resembles a serrated hypodermic needle. The honeybee's three pairs of segmented legs are a revelation, with their antennae cleaners, sharp-pointed claws, and baskets to carry pollen to the hive."
Stunningly evolved natural beauty!

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