Post by @appassionato@mastodon.social
Banisteriopsis caapi (ayahuasca / yagé); confocal image
Source:
JILL PFLUGHEBER AND STEVEN F. WHITE
SACRED PLANTS OF THE AMERICAS
Princeton University Press
Princeton and Oxford
#photography
#plants
#ayahuasca
#books
#microscopy
#confocal
#imaging
Brugmansia insignis (angel’s trumpet); confocal image
Stomata open and close pores on the surface of leaves and stems to allow plants to take in carbon dioxide and release oxygen as a byproduct of photosynthesis. The apertures are surrounded by bean-shaped parenchymatic cells (guard cells), which, through astonishingly complex signalling networks, control the size of the openings in order to regulate the gaseous exchange and control transpiration.
Datura innoxia (toloache); confocal image
Amaranthus cruentus (amaranth); confocal image
Amaranthus cruentus (amaranth); plant
@appassionato@mastodon.social
Can you please explain, what is being shown in the photo?
Is it extreme macro view of ... what?
It is a confocal image of Amaranth.
A confocal image is a high-resolution, high-contrast microscopic image created using a confocal laser scanning microscope (CLSM).
Unlike conventional light microscopes, which illuminate an entire sample at once and capture blurry out-of-focus light from above and below the focal plane, a confocal microscope uses a specialized optical mechanism (a spatial pinhole) to block out-of-focus light entirely.
@fasnix
2/
How It Works
Laser Scanning: A focused laser scans the sample point-by-point in a raster pattern.
Fluorescence Emission: Specific structures inside the sample (tagged with fluorescent dyes or proteins) emit light when struck by the laser.
@appassionato@mastodon.social
Sounds awesome and results in highly unusual pictures.
Thanks for explaining, much appreciated!