By combining computer tomography—the same technology used for medical scans—with a high-powered particle accelerator, researchers have imaged the network of roots, fungal structures, and soil together in their natural environment.
microscopy
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Navigating the Past with Ancient Stone Compass Needles
The emerging field of magnetic microscopy allows scientists to reconstruct ancient magnetic fields from individual magnetic particles. A new study evaluates the accuracy of the technique.
Posted inEditors' Highlights
Detecting Remagnetization with Quantum Diamond Microscopy
Scientists reconstruct the magnetization timeline of serpentinized rocks from the Troodos ophiolite by investigating remanent magnetization-carrying structures with a Quantum Diamond Microscope.
Posted inNews
Ice Diatoms Glide at Record-Low Temperatures
New observations reveal how microscopic organisms move through polar ice and illustrate how they may have evolved to thrive in extreme environments.
Posted inEditors' Highlights
Machine Learning Enhances Image Analysis in Biogeosciences
Machine learning can enhance our ability to identify communities of microorganisms and how they change in response to climate change over time.
Posted inEditors' Highlights
Pushing the Limits of IR Spectra: Using Nano-FTIR on Meteorites
A new method, nano-FTIR, is used to examine microstructures and processes on grains, displaying its benefit for examining asteroid returned samples through a meteorite.
Posted inEditors' Highlights
How Hot Was the Summer of 1783 Really? Trees Tell Tales
Volcanoes, heat waves, and tree rings – getting the seasonal story straight – a new study finds that volcanic fog lowered summer tree ring density despite the heat.
Posted inNews
Diamonds Are a Paleomagnetist’s Best Friend
Typical paleomagnetic measurements average a sample’s signal. The quantum diamond microscope helps scientists make micrometer-scale maps of magnetism, showing where a sample locked in its magnetic signatures.
Posted inNews
A New Tool May Make Geological Microscopy Data More Accessible
PiAutoStage can automatically digitize and send microscope samples to students and researchers on the cheap and from a distance.
Posted inNews
Desert Microbes Mine for Water
Scientists studying a cyanobacterium isolated from rock samples in the Atacama Desert found out how the bacteria extract water to live. Their results may help identify likely sites for life on Mars.