Comments on: Send in your samples to be photographed by a scanning electron microscope

By: warmlogic

warmlogic — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

I’ve seen their “send us your samples” page critiqued on some other blog at least a year ago.

The “more mold” page < http://aspexcorp.com/updates/more-mold-under-an-sem-scanning-electron-microscope-by-aspex/> features a sandwich in a fake mold ziplock bag < http://www.productdose.com/article.php?article_id=8277>.

The SEM image from the “moldy mold” page < http://aspexcorp.com/updates/moldy-mold-under-a-scanning-electron-microscope-sem/> is just a zoomed in version of the “more mold” SEM image.

Even the paper tears page < http://aspexcorp.com/updates/paper-tears-under-an-sem-scanning-electron-microscope/> features the same SEM image under two different samples.

A fun idea, but is it being executed at all?

By: ian_b

ian_b — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

I’d like to know if stems cells do, in fact, resemble the tears of baby Jesus.

By: rhinny

rhinny — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

I really really really really want to send them a scab.

By: muteboy

muteboy — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

“Not fish – snake scale! See Abdul Ben-Hassan. He make this snake!”"

By: nanuq

nanuq — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

You’d think they’d include a price list for their product line. No prices to be found on their site. Not that I’m in the market for an SEM but I’m a sucker for aggressive marketing.

By: Vale

Vale — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

For something really incredible, people, check out Popular Science August 1932 page 46. Article with photos of the work of H.O. Mueller veteran glass-blower at the American Museum of Natural History, New York.

“With only a pair of tweezers, a rod of carbon, a blowtorch and glass he fashions models of invisible aquatic creatures. A drop of water from a pool contains thousands of living things that can only be seen with a microscope. Enlarged models of them made by Mueller are in exhibit in the museum.. Especially beautiful are the microscopic jewels known as Radiolarians…”

Not sure if this link will work:
http://books.google.com/books?id=VCgDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA46&dq=glass+blower+models+of+microscopic&as_pt=MAGAZINES&rview=1&cd=2#v=onepage&q=glass%20blower%20models%20of%20microscopic&f=false

By: owza

owza — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

@AnthonyC That’s correct, the old school terms is micrograph.

By: owza

owza — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

@nanuq A decnt SEM is >Â£120K. The ASPEX looks like a Back Scatter only device and is probably more like 50-80K

By: Bucket

Bucket — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

I think it was manufactured…

Oh, wait, I used that one already.

By: IMoriarty

IMoriarty — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

I’m love to see some Aerogel scanned. Sadly, I don’t have any, despite it being relatively cheap.

By: Nollie

Nollie — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

“I think it was manufactured locally… finest quality… superior workmanship. There is a maker’s serial number… 9-9-0-6-9-4-7-X-B-7-1.”

By: AnthonyC

AnthonyC — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

This isn’t important, but since there’s no visibly light involved, it isn’t really a photograph.

By: ShortBus

ShortBus — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

Meh… I sent them a snowflake a month-or-so ago and was really unimpressed with the micrograph they emailed me a few days later.

By: GeekMan

GeekMan — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

“Send Us Your Sample”

This will have both fascinating, and traumatizing, consequences.

By: weaponx

weaponx — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

Semen en route