September Gallery

Coloured X-ray of hand bone growth: child to adult

Hand bone growth. Coloured X-ray of bonegrowth of the human hand at different ages (leftto right): 1 year old, 3 years old, 13 years old, 20 years old. Bones are coloured blue. The infantand child hands reveal wide spaces of cartilagebetween each finger bone, at each joint, wherebone growth and ossification (bone formation) willoccur. Wrist bones appear absent in the 1 year oldas they are made of cartilage; wrist boneformation has begun in the 3 year old. By 13 yearsossification has occurred widely: all wrist bonesare seen, and the spaces between finger jointshave narrowed. In the 20 year old hand, all bonejoints have closed

© Science Photo Library

Ebola virus

Ebola virus. Coloured transmission electron micro- graph of a single Ebola virus, the cause of Ebola fever. It is one of the group of filoviruses, so- called for its thin and long shape. Here the viral filament is seen looping in on itself. A number of major outbreaks of this severe, frequently fatal viral haemorrhagic fever have occurred in equatorial Africa since 1976, one in Zaire in 1995. The virus appears similar to, but is antigenically distinct from the Marburg virus which causes green monkey disease. The illnesses from both Ebola and Marburg viruses are similar, with fever, skin rash, and haemorrhage. Death may be rapid. Magnification: x19, 000 at 6x7cm size. x66, 500 at 8x10". This is the "reston" strain of Ebola, from Philadelphia, USA

© Barry Dowsett/Science Photo Library