Malaria and other curable diseases claim millions of lives in developing nations each year, often because they are not identified and treated in a timely manner. Current diagnostic methods can take weeks or months, delaying treatment and sometimes with dire consequences. A Stanford University research group called PrakashLab has invented a truly brilliant diagnostic tool called Foldscope: a microscope that are printed and folded from a single sheet of paper.

The origami-like microscopes are extremely portable and inexpensive, two important qualities missing from traditional diagnostic tools. The Foldscope is printed on a single sheet of paper and must be assembled by the user. In order to make the tool universal, there are no written instructions – just a color-coding system to indicate where and how to fold.

The assembled microscope delivers up to 2000X magnification without any kind of external power. It’s extremely durable, small enough to fit in a pocket and light enough to take into the field in even the most remote locations. At an exceptionally low 50 cents each, clinics and healthcare workers in developing nations can afford to keep several.

Manu Prakash, the professor behind PrakashLab, gave a TED Talk about the amazing capabilities and possibilities of this seemingly-simple device. The Foldscope can drastically reduce diagnosis times and help patients receive treatment almost immediately, which is a huge benefit to the fight for global health. But it can also inspire the next generation of scientists to get involved in their world, start exploring, and satisfy their curiosity to learn all that they can.

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Scanning electron microscopes (SEMs) create stunning images of even the tiniest objects. With their distinctive depth of field and incredible amount of detail, SEM images bridge the gap between science and art in a wonderfully fluid way.

Japanese artist and microscopist Susumu Nishinaga has a unique talent with SEM images. His mastery of the scanning electron microscope has produced some of the most compelling science images ever seen. But rather than being dry nature photographs, these images are otherworldly pictures of parts of our world that we rarely – if ever – get to see.

Under the powerful eye of the SEM, ordinary (but usually-overlooked) objects like flower petals, mushroom gills and even housefly noses become ethereal works of art. Beetle exoskeletons, mosquito bodies and bird feathers are suddenly transformed into fascinating landscapes of alien worlds.

Nishinaga’s unique talent is in producing images of blood vessels. In his talented hands, the SEM turns out extreme close-ups of veins, capillaries and arteries that look less like the inside of a human body and more like exotic plants and trees painted in vivid colors.

Scanning electron microscopes are much more powerful than regular microscopes, which are able to magnify only up to 1000 times. An SEM, on the other hand, can magnify up to a million times. The images are often colored to help laypeople differentiate between parts of the subject and to add interest to the pictures.

(all images via: Science Photo Library)

The post Look Closer: Stunning Up-Close Electron Microscope Art first appeared on Gajitz.