General Science Photography

Weevil, Eupholus magnificus

Weevil, Eupholus magnificus (.75” across)

Thermite Reaction Creating Molten Iron

Thermite is a pyrotechnic composition of a metal powder and a metal oxide, which produces an exothermic oxidation-reduction reaction known as a thermite reaction. If aluminum is the reducing agent it is called an aluminothermic reaction. Most varieties are not explosive, but can create short bursts of extremely high temperatures focused on a very small area for a short period of time.

Bismuth Crystals

Flesh Fly ECU

Flesh Fly (Sarcophaga spp.)

Abberant Ammonite Fossil, Ancyloceras matheranianum, Lower Cretaceous, Russia

Ammonites are the common name given to the Ammonoidea, an extinct order of cephalopods. These relatives of today's squid, octopi, and Nautilus were abundant, intelligent, active, and predatory molluscs that lived in shallow (100 meters or less) marine environments throughout the world.

Kilauea Lava Flow entering the sea, 2001 August, Big Island of Hawaii

Kilauea is an active volcano in the Hawaiian Islands, one of five shield volcanoes that together form the island of Hawaii. It is the most recent of a series of volcanoes that have created the Hawaiian archipelago, as the Pacific Plate moves over the Hawaii hotspot. Kilauea means "spewing" or "much spreading" in the Hawaiian language, referring to its frequent outpouring of lava. The Puʻu ʻŌʻō cone has been continuously erupting in the eastern rift-zone since 1983, making it the longest rift-zone eruption of the last 200 years. Thirty-four eruptions have taken place since 1952, not including the current episode. Lava less than 1000 years old covers 90% of Kilauea and the volume of erupted material is large enough to pave a road across the world three times.

Wood Boring Beetle

Wood Boring Beetle - Polybothris sumptuosa gemma, Madagascar (1.5” long)

Light Refracting on Bubble Film Surface

A soap bubble is a very thin film of soapy water that forms a sphere with an iridescent surface. Soap bubbles usually last for only a few seconds before bursting, either on their own or on contact with another object. They are often used for children's enjoyment, but they are also used in artistic performances. Soap bubbles can help solve complex mathematical problems of space, as they will always find the smallest surface area between points or edges.

Red Hot Horseshoe - Black Body Radiation

A black body is an idealized physical body that absorbs all incident electromagnetic radiation. Because of this perfect absorptivity at all wavelengths, a black body is also the best possible emitter of thermal radiation, which it radiates incandescently in a characteristic, continuous spectrum that depends on the body's temperature.

Winged Termite in Amber

Winged Termite in Amber, Colombia, 10 MYO Pliocene

Dry Ice, Frozen Carbon Dioxide

Dry ice, sometimes referred to as "Cardice" or as "card ice" is the solid form of carbon dioxide. It is colorless, odorless, non-flammable, and slightly acidic.

Botfly, Cuterebra arizonae

Botfly, Cuterebra arizonae, Arizona (3/8” long)

Molecule of Chlorophyll

Chlorophyll is a green pigment found in almost all plants, algae, and cyanobacteria. Chlorophyll is an extremely important biomolecule, critical in photosynthesis, which allows plants to obtain energy from light. Chlorophyll absorbs light most strongly in the blue portion of the electromagnetic spectrum, followed by the red portion.

Female Black Widow Spider

Female Black Widow Spider Showing Her Underside Red Hourglass

Bluegill Fish, Lepomis macrochirus

The Bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus) is a species of freshwater fish sometimes referred to as bream, brim, or copper nose. It is a member of the sunfish family Centrarchidae of the order Perciformes. It is native to a wide area of North America, from Québec to northern Mexico, and has been widely transplanted to stock game fish for anglers.

Arizona Blond Tarantula Fangs

Fangs - Aphonopelma Chalcodes or the Western Desert Tarantula, Arizona Blond Tarantula (male) or Mexican Blond Tarantula

Pyrite in Talc, Amejun, Lograno, Spain

The mineral pyrite, or iron pyrite, is an iron sulfide with the formula FeS2. This mineral's metallic luster and pale-to-normal, brass-yellow hue have earned it the nickname fool's gold because of its resemblance to gold.

Very Large Array - Radio Telescope in Socorro, New Mexico

An astronomical interferometer is an array of telescopes or mirror segments acting together to probe structures with higher resolution by means of interferometry. The benefit of the interferometer is that the angular resolution of the instrument is nearly that of a telescope with the same aperture as a single large instrument encompassing all of the individual photon-collecting sub-components. Astronomical interferometers can produce higher-resolution astronomical images than any other type of telescope. At radio wavelengths image resolutions of a few micro-arcseconds have been obtained, and image resolutions of a fractional milliarcsecond have been achieved at visible and infrared wavelengths.

Wolf Spider Carrying Babies on her Back, Hogna frondicola

Wolf spiders are members of the family Lycosidae, from the Ancient Greek word meaning "wolf". They are robust and agile hunters with good eyesight. Wolf spiders are unique in the way that they carry their eggs. The egg sac, a round silken globe, is attached to the spinnerets at the end of the abdomen, allowing the spider to carry her unborn young with her. The abdomen must be held in a raised position to keep the egg case from dragging on the ground, however despite this handicap they are still capable of hunting. Another aspect unique to wolf spiders is their method of infant care. Immediately after the spiderlings emerge from their protective silken case, they clamber up their mother's legs and crowd onto her abdomen.

Cardinal Meadowhawk Dragonfly

Cardinal Meadowhawk Dragonfly Close-Up, Sympetrum illotum

Dandelion Seeds Study

Taraxacum is a large genus of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae. They are native to Eurasia and North America, and two species, T. officinale and T. erythrospermum, are found as weeds worldwide.

Firefly's Twilight Flight

Lampyridae is a family of insects in the beetle order Coleoptera. They are winged beetles, and commonly called fireflies or lightning bugs for their conspicuous crepuscular use of bioluminescence to attract mates or prey. Fireflies produce a "cold light", with no infrared or ultraviolet frequencies. This chemically produced light from the lower abdomen may be yellow, green, or pale-red, with wavelengths from 510 to 670 nanometers.

Paleontologist working with primative fossil reptile Orobates pabsti from Germany Fossil Reptile, Orobates pabsti, Diadectomorpha, Diadectidea, Early Permian, Germany, Bromacker Locality Released: Dave Berman

Giant Crab Spider CU

Giant Crab Spider, Olios giganteus

Marine Reptile, Mosasaurus, Cretaceous Oceans, Belgium