Scientific Illustration

saidtotheuniverse:

Varieties of the genus Celastrina, the tiny blue butterfly

Varieties of the genus Celastrina, the tiny blue butterfly

Posted on May 23, 2013 via said to the universe with 126 notes

Agaricus albo-cyaneus-(Stropharia pseudocyanea Slim verdigris agaric) on Flickr.

FUNGUS. Kops et al., J., Flora Batava, vol. 21: t. 1644 (1901).
source-Karl Stueber

Posted on May 22, 2013 via The slower you go the bigger your world gets with 129 notes

neurolove:

Acetylcholine (ACh) is another neurotransmitter, best known for being the neurotransmitter that bridges the gaps between neurons and muscles. Unlike neurotransmitters acting upon other neurons, ACh has a 1:1 action on muscles. One action potential causes a muscle contraction, no need for build up (like with EPSPs and IPSPs). The amount of ACh released and the pattern in which it is released will determine how much the muscle contracts and for how long.

I found this great infographic online to show the process of ACh on muscle contraction from here. Nicotine, the addictive substance in cigarettes, acts upon ACh receptors. ACh also has its own actions in the brain, which I will talk about another time.

(via molecularlifesciences)

Posted on May 22, 2013 via NeuroLove with 392 notes

Source: neurolove

biomedicalephemera:

Loligo gigas [now Dosidas gigas] - Humboldt Squid/Jumbo Squid

The Humboldt squid is among the largest of the squid, despite their lifespan of just under one year. Other giant squids have a lifespan estimated to be around five years at a minimum, and don’t reach their maximum size until near the end of their life. One of the major sources of food for Humboldt squid is other Humboldt squids, which is believed to contribute significantly to their fast growth.

All of the suckers of the Humboldt are ringed with sharp, flesh-tearing teeth, and when squid are feeding, they’ve been known to be very aggressive towards scuba divers. Outside of feeding time (generally dusk to dawn), the squid are generally non-aggressive creatures.

Like many squid, the Humboldt has chromatophores in its skin, allowing for rapid color changes. When they feed or are in distress (such as when they’re caught by fishers), they flash bright red. This led to one of their first colloquial names - El diablo rojo - the Red Devil.

Voyage dans l’Amerique Meridionale: Tome Neuvieme. Alcide d’Orbigny, 1847.

Posted on May 22, 2013 via Biomedical Ephemera, or: A Frog for Your Boils with 564 notes

mucholderthen:

Phylogenetic Tree of Life
The OpenLearn site used to offer this phylogenetic chart in the shape of a tree as a free poster, but no more. They do have an online version of this same illustration, expandable and with links and an explanatory guide:
Tree of Life - Open University.

Posted on May 22, 2013 via World of Frog with 590 notes

Engineering a dinosaur predator - Allosaurus feeding mechanics

“ http://bit.ly/10oJqL4 Animation of the feeding movements of the head and neck of the Jurassic predatory theropod dinosaur Allosaurus based on multibody dynamics and soft-tissue reconstruction. Based on the article published in 2013 in Palaeontologia Electronica (see link above) by Eric Snively, John Cotton, Ryan Ridgely, and Lawrence Witmer. Animation executed by Ridgely with the assistance of Snively and Witmer. Research supported by the NSF-funded Visible Interactive Dinosaur project, WitmerLab at Ohio University.”

Tagged: Allosaurus dinosaur video animation