See if you can find the 8 differences in each set of images.

Vein of gold

Scanning electron microscope image using secondary electron contrast depicts the perforated surface of a Ni-Mn-Ga film. This film was prepared by DC-magnetron sputter deposition on a single crystalline MgO substrate. The image was colorized in gold. Magnification is 5000x.

Anett Diestel, Anja Backen, and Sandra Kauffmann-Weiss, IFW, Dresden

figure 1

Colloidal night

Inspired by Vincent van Gogh’s famous painting “Starry Night,” this high-resolution scanning electron microscope image of polystyrene colloids (average diameter of 200 nm) forming a self-assembled monolayer on a silicon-oxide surface is merged with a copy of the print. Magnification is 10.0k. The colloidal arrangement fits the painting print nicely and emphasizes the brush strokes.

Burcin Özdemir, University of Ulm

figure 2

The answers will be in the February 2013 issue.

figure 3

Images on the top were submitted to the Materials Research Society “Science as Art” competition.

Images on the bottom were modified in Adobe Photoshop for this “Look Again” activity.