Microbe vs. Mineral - A Life and Death Struggle in the Desert

Although the bursts of rainbow colors in this photograph are mesmerizing, microbes fight for their lives in the background. Chemist Michael P. Zach of the University of Wisconsin, Stevens Point, snapped this image of a salt sample he collected in a hot, arid valley near Death Valley National Park in California. He crushed the salt, placed it under a microscope slide, and added a drop of water. Suddenly a slew of microbes came to life as the salt crystals dissolved. Then when the water started evaporating, he took the picture. (The colors come from light passing through the growing crystals, which act like prisms.)

Visit Website >

Image credit: Michael P. Zach, University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point