The Wellcome Image Awards recognise scientists who have created beautiful images as part of their own research and made them available for public use through the Wellcome Library. Click on the images for a larger version.

 

Colour-enhanced image of a housefly (Musca domestica) on sugar crystals. To eat the sugar the fly releases its enzyme-containing saliva onto it, lets it digest, then sucks it all back up. Houseflies are well known for carrying gastrointestinal diseases such as Salmonella and dysentery, but they can also spread tuberculosis, anthrax and other major illnesses through their habit of visiting decaying organic matter and faeces, as well as humans and their food.
Colour-enhanced scanning electron micrograph by Dave McCarthy and Annie Cavanagh.

 

 

Colour-enhanced image of red blood cells leaking out of a ruptured blood vessel. This is due to a mutation in the Ephrin-B2 gene, which prevents smooth muscle cells from being arranged correctly in the blood vessel wall. The blood vessels then become more fragile, leading to an increased rate of haemorrhaging. This abnormality is similar to that seen in the blood vessels that feed developing cancers. Understanding this process may help to lead to new cancer treatments.
Colour-enhanced scanning electron micrograph by Anne Weston.

Just trying out Firefox 3 Beta 4 and I'm impressed. The first most obvious difference I noticed is the speed of GMail. It's lightning fast. The over look 'n' feel of this beta is very nice and is a big improvement over Firefox 2.*. The memory usage is also a lot less than Firefox 2, so far anyway, though running it with a new/clean profile always helps.

 

I have it installed along side Firefox 2 but so far I think I'll stick with using this Beta version as I've had no problems so far. Looking forward to the final release.

This is a really sick hand.

If you've never seen this film then I highly recommend it. It's French (with English subtitles) but don't let that put you off.

Synopsis: "At a secluded lake, Alexandre Beck is beaten into a coma, while Margot, the childhood sweetheart whom he has recently married, is abducted and brutally murdered. Police suspicions first fall on Alex himself, but then a local serial killer is apprehended whose peculiar signatures have been found all over the crime scene. Case closed.

 
Eight years later, a still grieving Alex receives one anonymous e-mail with apparently live footage of Margot standing at a crowded train station, and another message warning him: "Tell no one. They're watching."".

It's been voted by quite a few people as the best film of 2007 and I'd have to agree.

I've just read Fermat's Last Theorem by Simon Singh and it's an excellent book.

Synopsis: "This is the extraordinary story of the solving of a puzzle that has confounded mathematicians since the 17th century. The solution of Fermat's Last Theorem is the most important mathematical development of the 20th century. In 1963, a schoolboy browsing in his local library stumbled across the world's greatest mathematical problem: Fermat's Last Theorem, a puzzle that every child can understand but which has baffled mathematicians for over 300 years. Aged just ten, Andrew Wiles dreamed that he would crack it. Wiles's lifelong obsession with a seemingly simple challenge set by a long-dead Frenchman is an emotional tale of sacrifice and extraordinary determination. In the end, he was forced to work in secrecy and isolation for seven years, harnessing all the power of modern mathematics to achieve his childhood dream. Many before him had tried and failed, including a 18-century philanderer who was killed in a duel, and an 18-century Frenchwoman who had to attend maths lectures at the Ecole Polytechnique disguised as a man. A remarkable story of human endeavour and intellectual brilliance over three centuries, 'Fermat's Last Theorem' will fascinate both specialist and general readers."

Highly recommended.

Jeremy Beadle has died after a short battle with pneumonia, aged 59. The media in general has given Jeremy a hard time over the years but I've always had a lot of time for him. People tend to always think of him as the onscreen prankster he was most known for but outside of this he was an extremely intelligent, well read man. He could converse intelligently on almost any subject and had a private library of 22,000 books.

He also did a massive amount of work for charity and is estimated to have raised over 100 million. I used to listen to a quiz he hosted on the radio and once took part although I did terribly. I had a lot of time for Jeremy Beadle, he was one of the good guys.

Just wanted to say that Barack Obama sounds like the noise of something coming to rest after falling down the stairs.

You'll have heard of road rage but have you heard of bus queue rage? I've noticed it for a while now and it's starting to annoy.

There used to be a time when the people got onto the bus in the order they arrived at the bus stop. But not anymore. Now it's just a mad rush to see who can get on first regardless of age or gender.

Of course I'm still a gentleman and allow the elderly, those with children/prams etc and women on first. This of course means I end up having to stand up and don't get me started on the whole standing up for people issue...

I've recently switched my poker allegiance from PartyPoker to PKR. PKR has a much better user experience even if it is a bit over the top. The animated avatars make quite a difference and I also prefer the game structures.