The bull

Shots fired

Canon

High speed photo : casing

Salmonella

An electron microscope image of the Salmonella bacterium. (Courtesy of Rocky Mountain Laboratories,NIAID,NIH)

You've got nerve(s)

A scanning electron microscope picture of a nerve ending. It has been broken open to reveal vesicles (orange and blue) containing chemicals used to pass messages in the nervous system.TINA CARVALHO

Butterfly scales

Colored Scanning Electron Micrograph (SEM) of scales from the wingof a peacock butterfly (Inachis o). These scales have an intricatedesign and overlap like the tiles on a roof. They allow heat and lightto enter and also help the butterfly to retain warmth. They may alsobe very colorful. Magnification: 750 X.

Head louse

And if just the thought of a hay fever attack doesn't start to make you itch, what about this microscopic head louse acrobatically scaling three strands of hair, taken by Garry Hunter and Dave Randall at The University of Sussex.

Velcro

Colored Scanning Electron Micrograph (SEM) of nylon hooks and loopsin Velcro material. Used as a common fastener on clothes and shoes,Velcro is a nylon material formed into two different structures: one a nail-head-like surface, and the other a smooth surface made up of a seriesof loops. The loops are loosely woven strands among an otherwisetight weave. When the two surfaces are brought together they form astrong bond, but can still be pulled apart. Magnification: 50 X.

Human capillary

Colored scanning electron micrograph (SEM) of a cross-section of a human capillary, showing the red blood cells (red discs) it contains.The smallest type of blood vessel, capillaries pervade body tissue,forming a fine network that links veins and arteries.They have permeable walls that allow the exchange of gases andnutrients between the blood and tissue. Also known as erythrocytes,red blood cells transport oxygen to the tissue and carbon dioxideback to the lungs. Magnification: 2.600 X

Microscopic cross section of a lavender leaf