Science isn't all about examining graphs and charts. In this weekly column, staff writer Andrea Alfano puts together the most striking science images from the past week's news for your viewing pleasure. Scroll down to find phenomenal images and fascinating facts about the science behind them.
From the feet of geckos to the surface of the sun, this week's science images are full of inspiration. Also in the mix: a gorgeous view of Milan from space, lab bench art and a dashing little microorganism.
McDonald's may hold the trademark on golden arches, but the sun's golden arches are without question the grandest in our solar system. This arch is the visible manifestation of magnetic field lines emanating from the sun. Charged, glowing particles align with the magnetic field, resulting in these short-lived formations. NASA's Solar Dynamic Observatory captured the shot.
Astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti snapped this stunning shot of Milan in her home country of Italy before returning from the International Space Station as the new record holder for longest continuous stay in space by a woman. This aerial view shows how much more blue light the city gives off than the surrounding suburbs. The difference can be chalked up to the adoption of LED technology in the city — which is bad news for stargazers, unfortunately.
They look like a pile of foamy Nerf balls, but these orange objects are not safe for kids — or anyone else, for that matter. They are bacteria known as group A streptococcus, famous for causing strep throat. In rarer cases, the bacteria can also cause childhood heart disease. This scanning electron microscope image shows a human blood cell attempting to engulf and destroy the bacterial bad guys. Scientists figured out the mechanism that allows the bacteria to cause epidemics this week.
Gecko feet are incredibly sticky, yet they have no adhesives on them. Extremely tiny structures on their feet actually physically interact with the molecules on the surfaces they touch in such a way that allows them to stick. This week, researchers mimicked this method to create a type of substance known as protein hydrogel, which could one day aid wound healing and drug delivery.
Scientists used a supercomputer to model the structure of Saturn's rings. In a new paper, they show that planets of any size and even tiny asteroids could have rings — size is not critical to ring formation. This false-color image from the spacecraft Voyager-2 shows Saturn's rings.
Tiny man yelling from a mustachioed mouth or water mite? Yes, it's the latter, but it's hard not to anthropomorphize this little guy. Scientists published a paper describing this new species of water mite, Bromeliacarus cardoso, this week.
Those scientists stuck at the lab bench seem to be dreaming of beachside vacations, too. One artistically inclined scientist created this beach scene from various species of bacteria from the genus Vibrio, collected along the coast of Massachusetts. The bacteria is bad news if ingested alive, and can cause cholera and some forms of shellfish poisoning, but thoroughly cooking shellfish eliminates the issue.
