Images Dated 6th August 1998

Coloured SEM of laptop screen foil surface

Laptop screen foil. Coloured scanning electron micrograph (SEM) of the surface of a brightness- enhancing foil used to make laptop personal computer screens look brighter. The principle is the same as that by which the tiny individual scales (one seen in orange) on a butterfly's wings make the wing as a whole look bright and shiny. Light is reflected from the tiny grooves between the blue and green ridges. Laptop computers are designed to be compact and portable, and do not have much room for screen projection hardware. The lightweight foil is a simple way to improve the image without adding any new electronics. Magnification: x200 at 6x7cm size

© VOLKER STEGER/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY

Coloured SEM of a villus of the small intestine

Villus of small intestine. Coloured scanning electron micrograph (SEM) showing a healthy villus of the small intestine. The villus epithelium (lining) is made up of mucus-producing goblet cells (pink) and polygonal absorptive cells (purple). Villi are finger-like projections from the intestinal wall which greatly increase the absorptive surface of this part of the digestive system. Mucus secretions aid the movement of food through the intestines. The small intestine is around 6 metres long, providing a large surface area for effective food absorption. This is the jejunum, the central part of the small intestine. Magnification unknown

© STEVE GSCHMEISSNER/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY