Microbial biofilms, more commonly known as slime, are complex communities of many different types of micro-organism, thought to be of considerable ecological importance in aquatic environments. This poster shows the main types of organisms, which are found in a biofilm from a stream, and explains their interactions and ecological roles within the stream ecosystem. By Andrew Dopheide and Gillian Lewis, University of Auckland.

An excerpt from an informative book, entitled "Alice's Adventures in a Microscopic Wonderland." The objects from micrographs are reverently sculpted together with an effort to protect their intrinsic beauty. By Colleen Champ and Dennis Kunkel, Concise Image Studios.

Rendered 3D image of a melanoma cell using data obtained using ion abrasion scanning electron microscopy, a novel approach for imaging mammalian cells at nanometer resolution. By Donald Bliss and Sriram Subramaniam, National Library of Medicine.

All 1,189 chapters of the Bible are depicted as a bar graph along the bottom of the illustration - the length of each bar is proportional to the number of verses in the chapter (books alternate in color between white and light grey). Rendered above this are 63,779 cross references, each represented by a single arc connecting two pieces of the text; different colors are used to denote varying distances between connected chapters. By Chris Harrison, Carnegie Mellon University; Christoph Römhild, North Elbian Evangelical Lutheran Church.

The circulatory system is the body’s primary transport network, delivering oxygen to cells, carrying away wastes, and fighting off intruders. This illustration reveals the system’s key components across ten orders of magnitude. By Linda Nye and the Exploratorium Visualization Laboratory.

We synthesized a thin layer of cross-linked poly(ethylene glycol) covalently attached to the surface of an elastomeric polymer. Immersing the polymer in water caused the hydrogel to absorb water and swell, which created strain on the elastomeric back-layer. The interplay between expansion of the hydrogel and the distortion of the elastomer created the spontaneous buckling of the poly(ethylene glycol) layer, which formed a beautiful pattern of wrinkles. The physical phenomenon responsible for this buckling behavior emerges in many places in nature, including: fingerprints and the wrinkles that form on the petals of flowers and the edges of leaves. By Ye Jin Eun and Douglas B. Weibel, University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Loligo pealei squids have eight arms and two tentacles, all of which are coated with suction-cups, lined with fangs composed of chitin. These tiny suckers, whose diameters are around 400 µm, ultimately ensure that the half-meter-long squid will enjoy its next afternoon snack! By Jessica D. Schiffman and Caroline L. Schauer, Drexel University.

What looks like a 3-dimensional subject is actually the path described by a rapidly spinning string cutting apparent volumes in space. These are visualized over time and appear as real volumes due to the temporal nature of the camera exposure that was used to make the illustration. By Andrew Davidhazy, Rochester Institute of Technology.

Depicts at the microscale level a community of diatoms, unicellular algae characterized by a peculiar glass-like cell wall, attached to the basal segment of a marine invertebrate (Eudendrium racemosum) and captured by Scanning Electron Microscope.