91av

photography

FEATURE CROP

Life

Our web-slinging immune cells caught in action for photo contest

A microscrope image showing how the body fights off tuberculosis bacteria has been shortlisted in the Royal Society of Biology's 2021 Photography Competition

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WINNER Creation, that captures camouflage groupers exiting their milky cloud of eggs and sperm in Fakarava, French Polynesia.

Life

Cloud of eggs and sperm image wins Wildlife Photographer of the Year

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Life

Sublime slime mould wins 91av photography competition

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annular solar eclipse

Space

Here are the Astronomy Photographer of the Year winners

News
Bolivian black-capped squirrel monkeys are weighed at ZSL London Zoo (c) ZSL

Life

Animals at London zoo get their annual weigh-in

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FEATURE CROP ONLY

Life

Amazing images make 91av Photography Awards 2021 shortlist

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AHF347_004_S1 The team behind the "umbrella-like" deployable heat shield design called ADEPT, or the Adaptable, Deployable, Entry and Placement Technology, is testing out a new material to deliver science payloads on future missions to Mars and beyond. Called Spiderweave, the new woven fabric will make it safer for larger vehicles to safely pass through the atmosphere of more distant locations. It can also be packed up at launch and stored in a compact space. When sending science to other worlds, saving space and enabling safer atmospheric entries are top priorities. ADEPT could help achieve both of these goals. Previous ADEPT heat shield iterations involved stitching together individual panels to comprise the heat shield. But engineers found that could often lead to points of increased stress and other discontinuities within the material. Spiderweave uses a new design architecture where materials are continuously woven into the heat shield?s fabric, avoiding these issues. This summer, Spiderweave was put to the test in the arc jet facilities at NASA?s Ames Research Center in California?s Silicon Valley, where the ADEPT team observed how the material held up when exposed to temperatures above 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit. Those extreme temperatures mimic the conditions a vehicle experiences when entering a planetary atmosphere. Building on the previous work of the ADEPT project, including a sounding rocket flight test in 2018, supported by NASA?s Flight Opportunities program, where the heat shield was deployed in space and safely returned to Earth, the Spiderweave material is making science possible on worlds both near and far. ADEPT is funded by the Game Changing Development program within NASA?s Space Technology Mission Directorate, with support from the Flight Opportunities program. The textile company Bally Ribbon Mills developed the Spiderweave Material as a part of NASA?s Small Business Innovation Research program.

Technology

NASA tests a new heat shield featuring Spiderweave

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Life

Spiralling school of jack fish image takes photography prize

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Earth

Sea snot swirls in Turkey’s Sea of Marmara reach record size

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Life

Amazing images show butterfly mouthparts up close

This alien-like image shows butterfly probiscises, shaped by evolution to help them drink nectar from flowers. The shot, created using a special optical imaging technique, reveals the intricacies of their mouthparts

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Technology

Bendy camera the width of a human hair can take accurate 3D images

News

Humans

Striking image of covid-19 clean-up is among photo contest finalists

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Earth

Fantastic fungi images capture the magic of mushrooms

News

Life

Amazing surfing sharks image shows how currents help them save energy

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