They'll Hijack Your Body to Replicate Themselves

Zombies? Science Fiction? Fantasy? No, it’s the very real flu virus, cold virus, rabies, HIV, ebola or any other viruses.

Viruses are microscopic nonliving organisms that can only reproduce by hijacking the production mechanism inside a living host’s cells. The virus replicates itself until the cell bursts, spreading the virus further. This usually means death to each cell that becomes infected. If the host’s immune system cannot destroy the virus, ultimately it can mean a very bad outcome for the host as well.

They differ from bacteria in that bacteria are alive, reproduce through fission (splitting apart) and carry on metabolic functions such as digestion.

Stock Images of Bacteria and Viruses

Viruses cannot reproduce on their own. They need to attach themselves to a host’s cells and inject it with their DNA/RNA, taking over the cell’s “machinery” to manufacture and reproduce. This continues until the cell literally bursts. The new viruses go on the hunt for more cells to continue this cycle.

Viruses are 10 to 100 times smaller than bacteria. Common water filters can block bacteria, however viruses can pass through many common filters.

Many bacteria are beneficial and even necessary for human existence. Our digestive tracts are filled with good bacteria - Normal Flora - that help break down food and even produce vitamins, such as vitamin K, that are critical to our well-being.

We all know there are also harmful bacteria such as Streptococcus pyogenes that causes strep throat or E. coli that causes food poisoning.

But there are no beneficial viruses that we know of. In fact, a type of virus called a bacteriophage even infects and kills bacteria.

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Antibiotics are useless against viruses. Antibiotics only kill off bacteria, which is why doctors will only prescribe them once they are certain an illness is caused by a bacteria and not a virus.

Even though antiviral drugs do exist, they aren’t even able to kill viruses. They only limit a virus’s ability to develop further.

The best methods for keeping safe from these dangerous invaders in the first place is to practice basic hygiene and common sense. Washing your hands frequently, getting the flu shot, staying clear of wild animals that may carry rabies such as raccoons and avoiding contact with anyone already infected especially if they coughing or sneezing, are some of the leading precautions you can take.

• webmd.com
• wikipedia.com
• sciencedaily.com

Science in Motion – The History of Discovery in Video Montage

Have you ever wanted to step into an old etching and explore the laboratories of your favorite scientists and inventors? Short of magic, video montages provide the next best thing!

Peer into Herschel’s telescope as he gazes at the cosmos from his observatory or follow a beam of light as it refracts into a rainbow in Newton’s laboratory.

Video Montage Gallery

Beyond the fun, video montages have an educational value. By linking images together, montages provide historic continuity, allowing people to see the connections between scientific discoveries. An etching from Isaac Newton’s life may tell you something about his findings in optics, but a group of images reveals how they led to further insights into physics.

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Montages also bring clarity to scientific discoveries. By zeroing in on a lab experiment, montages highlight key components involved in the scientific process. Panning and scrolling help viewers understand the causes and effects involved in experiments, giving them a better understanding of how science works.

As classic images enter the digital sphere, video montages are providing a unique and fun visual aid for designers and educators alike. Take a closer look below!

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The Aliens are Here: Invasive Species

Diver With Lion Fish

Exotic beauty hides a deadly beast.  The lionfish is but one of over 4,000 invasive species found in the United States doing damage to wildlife, plants, our economy, and our health.

An invasive species, also called alien species, is a non-native plant or animal that may have no natural enemies and possibly possess other advantages that allow it to propagate to such a degree that it causes damage. 

This may include the killing of already endangered plants, habitat loss, damaging crops, clogging pipes in power plants or otherwise wreaking havoc.  Their success makes them impossible to eradicate and very difficult to control.

One example, the lionfish, is of great concern in the Southern United States, killing off 65% of the local fish population within two years. Some of these prey fish are critical for cleaning the coral, so the coral reefs are also dying off.

Stock Images of Invasive Animals & Plants

It's believed this invasion was caused by a few pet lionfish owners releasing them into the wild from their home aquariums.  

The lionfish has no natural predator in the United States. It is carnivorous and eats voraciously. A single female lionfish can lay over two million eggs a year. 

Lionfish are difficult to eradicate because they hang out on the sea floor, up to 1,000 ft down.  They cannot be caught by nets, nor by fishing hook and line. A diver needs to spear them one at a time. Their venomous sting is 50 times more painful than a wasp's and can take months to heal. Divers need to carry special hard-shelled containers for their catches to protect themselves from the lionfish barbs. 

This is one of approximately 4,300 invasive species currently causing loss of wildlife and income in the United States.

Fun Gifts of Scary Invasive Species

How do invasive species get here? People, and the goods we use, travel around the world very quickly and often carry uninvited species with them.

As people become more aware of invasive species and how to prevent them, the situation can improve.

In the case of the lionfish, people have discovered it is delicious to eat. High demand from restaurants is now putting a dent in the lionfish population. The lionfish will never be eradicated, but as long as we have hungry diners, there's a chance of getting them under control.

• bbc.com
• earthrangers.com
• washingtonpost.com
• wikipedia.com
• sailorsofthesea.org
• oceanservice.noaa.gov
• pbs.org
• nationalgeographic.com

A Wizard of Oz Moment for Black and White Images

 In a Wizard of Oz moment, artists are bringing full color to black and white images, while chronicling the past in a never before seen way. 

Beyond their aesthetic appeal, colorized images play an important role in education.  The famous image of Pavlov with his dogs is recognizable to many but not everyone notices all the tools involved in his findings. Digital coloring highlights these areas, helping students understand how Pavlov made his important discoveries in psychology.

In scientific images, digital color can locate everything from stars to microbes in the grayscale of SEMs and old photos, making them perfect for textbooks and other publications.

Stock Gallery of Colorized Images

Colorized images also have a historic significance. Black and white photographs may depict an event in the past but fail to capture the full appearance of an era. Historians have recently discovered that many sculptures from ancient Greece were painted. Now artists can reintroduce this color, revealing the past in a more authentic way.

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Colorized Mugs, Phone Cases and T-shirts

As we move forward with technology and our understanding of science and history, colorized images are playing an important role in enhancing the accuracy and beauty of stock images. Explore more in the links above.

The Fascinating Journey of Blood Through Your Body

Did you know that your body houses millions of vessels that are circulating blood at this very moment? In fact, if all the blood vessels in the average adult were connected in one line from beginning to end, they would stretch 100,000 miles. The circulatory (or cardiovascular) system carries blood all throughout your body to transport nutrients, allow for essential body functions like breathing, and maintain an overall homeostasis.

Arteries, veins, and capillaries are the three different types of blood vessels that make blood circulation possible. Veins transport deoxygenated or waste-rich blood that will eventually be filtered, and arteries carry the filtered, oxygenated blood. Capillaries are the middleman of blood circulation, as they enable the exchange of blood between arteries and veins.

Stock Video of Blood Flow and Circulatory Anatomy

Blood Drop on Finger

There are two types of blood circulation: pulmonary and systemic. Pulmonary circulation is the transportation of blood to the lungs so that the blood becomes oxygenated and can return to the heart. This oxygenated blood is then used within systemic circulation.

During systemic circulation, the heart pumps oxygenated blood out to the rest of the body through the arteries. Capillaries deoxygenate the blood by swapping out the oxygen with carbon dioxide, and they then deliver the deoxygenated blood to the veins. The veins carry the deoxygenated blood back to the heart to start the pulmonary cycle over again.

This intricate and elegant system is happening constantly within your body. Without it, you would have no digestive system or immune system, and even your hormones wouldn't be able to be expressed.

Staying healthy, hydrating, and exercising regularly can help ensure that you're taking care of your circulatory system and everything is flowing smoothly.

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• fi.edu
• ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
• innerbody.com

The Beauty of Illustration in an Age of Photography

Photograph of a normal human brain and a 3D illustration of a human brain.

You may associate nature and medical illustration with dusty old tomes, but it's more relevant and beautiful than ever. In a world that's getting more complicated and where technical knowledge can make or break careers, precise and informative illustration is more critical than ever.

Stock Images of Nature & Medical Illustration

Illustration can show the unseen and explain the unclear. Think about a photograph of internal human anatomy. Even if it is a high resolution, super sharp image, it may still be difficult to decipher. A science or medical illustration, on the other hand, can show each anatomical part in a different color, label it, and indicate its function. Unimportant details can be left out and critical information highlighted.

In many cases, a photograph can't display the same level of detail as a well-designed illustration. Volcanos are spectacular on the outside but their inner workings are hidden from view without a well-placed cross-section. Illustrations can also represent processes such as DNA sequencing and distinctions between organisms that are similar in appearance, such as bacteria and viruses.

Finch Family Tree Throw Pillow

 

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To this day scientific illustrations play an important role in the education of doctors, geologists, paleontologists, physicists and many other careers.  

With the advancement of 2D and 3D software and the continued efforts of talented scientific artists, illustration will continue to play an important role in the future of science education.