AMS picture
Here is the picture that won the AMS award. It's pushing the boundaries of what the blog site will take in terms of size so this may or may not work. I like my picture that took 2nd better personally, but no one asked me.
20 Years of Themes, and still going
2 months ago
9 comments:
cool - looks great when I click on it. What is it?
Abby,
That is so cool looking. Like a space scene. But I'm with Debbie...what is it?
cathyh
Zoowie that's a funny looking structure. Great photo!
It's a stenotele nematocyst. I am including the paragraph that I wrote for it here.
Nematocyst of Hydra. Scanning electron photomicrograph of a stenotele nematocyst of Hydra vulgaris. All cnidarians produce nematocysts, the most complex secretory product known, consisting of an intracellular capsule containing a tubule that everts when triggered to release toxin in one of the fastest cellular processes in nature. Nematocysts are used in a variety of ways including capture of prey, defense against predators, and intraspecific aggression. They are highly variable in morphology, with approximately 30 types distinguishable by features of the tubule and spines. Stenoteles are easily identified by the three large spines called stylets at the base of the tubule, two of which are visible here. These stylets exit the capsule as a single point, puncture a hole in the victim, then separate and flip backwards, lodging themselves inside the victim.
Oh, and in terms of size, this nematocyst is less than 20 microns.
Abby this is so amazing! Did you know that you had the nematocyst already or did you hunt it out once you had the specimen in the SEM? Is it coated with gold palladium or uncoated? I wonder how thin the coating is... it must be incredibly fine.
So is this a stenotele that had been lodged in something, since the 3 points are out? What's the bulb?
That is absolutely beautiful. Congratulations Abby.
Abby,
This photo is awesome! And I didn't know hydra were so bad-ass.
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