Images of Science 2022 – This is what everyday Swiss research looks like – Knowledge
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Earthquakes, decomposition processes and electron microscopes: these are the best scientific images of 2022.
Facts, figures, studies: science can be quite abstract. But when research is told in pictures, it also allows laypeople to get closer – to computer simulations, to test laboratories and to the researchers themselves. This is shown by over 300 pictures and videos that researchers submitted to the Swiss National Science Foundation competition this year. The international jury of experts selected 14 entries.
Swiss science in pictures
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Legend:
No, this is not a tree, but a so-called trichome. A “plant hair” photographed with an electron microscope and coloured. The small, hair-like structure is often found on the surface of leaves.
John Kolinski researches dynamic fractures. With a time series, he was able to capture this dynamic photographically. A thin, elastic body is subjected to tensile stress, expands and stores energy in the process. But if a small nick is scored, it can cause “catastrophic failure” because the material breaks.
On the trail of death: doctoral student Lara Indra takes a sample from a decomposed pig carcass. By examining the bones and decomposition process of corpses, forensic anthropology can estimate the time of death.
Not a dollhouse! This vertical section of a 3D model shows the famous Stockholm City Library. Originally built by Erik Gunnar Asplund, it is now being renovated. Researchers use laser scanning to examine the historical construction, the acoustics and the lighting.
A chamber that traps greenhouse gases: Wetlands sequester carbon from the atmosphere, but they also release greenhouse gases, particularly in the form of methane and CO2 bubbles. The chamber in the photo captures the gases as they rise to the surface from the pond.
What looks like blue velvet is the result of a computer simulation of earthquakes. Thanks to such simulations, detailed statistics about earthquakes, their strength, duration and rest periods can be recorded.
An anatomy specialist evaluates the injection of a blood analogue in real time. This makes the analysis of complex vascular systems easier and is central to the development of post-mortem techniques. Trainee surgeons can use it to learn realistic exercises on anatomical preparations.
Covered grotto: In the Rhone glacier in Valais, tarpaulins protect an ice grotto from melting. For more than 150 years, the grotto has been hewn out of the ice every year so that people can visit the glacier. It is unclear how long the glacier grotto on the Furka Pass can be operated.
Many research devices are highly complex, while others are as banal as this bucket. You might think it’s unspectacular, but it’s actually one of the most important tools in the biochemistry laboratory. In this case, liquid nitrogen is transported in it, which is needed to freeze proteins.
The best works in each of four categories were awarded a winning entry. Ten other exceptional works were also honored. The award-winning pictures and videos of this year will be at the Biel Photo Days issued.
