Diatomeas

Electron microscope images of diatoms by Dr Paul Hargreaves and Faye Darling

This may look like Salvador Dali's Mae West Lips Sofa, but it is a colourised scanning electron microscope image of a diatom - a tiny single-celled marine creature invisible to the naked eye. Diatoms are a type of algae or phytoplankton that typically measure just 0.002 inches across, and are thought to pre-date the dinosaurs. Oceanographer Dr Paul Hargreaves uses an electron microscope to photograph the creatures, and artist Faye Darling uses digital paint programmes to colourise them.