Eye lens fibers

Pau · Post by **Pau** » Fri Dec 23, 2011 9:03 am

EDIT: Title changed from "What is this?"

Taken with a 16X objective and DIC illumination

(I think it is not difficult for Optics lovers

)

Pau · Post by **Pau** » Fri Dec 23, 2011 10:12 am

A closer view. Not SEM, just DIC and some processing

Pau · Post by **Pau** » Sat Dec 24, 2011 4:24 am

No one?. Perhaps I need to give more clues...
- It's an optic material
- If you are reading this post, you have it for sure.

shrek · Post by **shrek** » Sun Dec 25, 2011 1:14 am

Tiny Wood ?

jp

Pau · Post by **Pau** » Sun Dec 25, 2011 3:09 am

Not wood, it's an optical material (colorless and transparent). The brown color isn't original.

Follow the clues...

canonian · Post by **canonian** » Sun Dec 25, 2011 3:26 am

Following your clue, does it has something to do with the screens we look at?
The chrystals, or one the layers of protective/polarizing material of a LCD monitor?

Pau · Post by **Pau** » Sun Dec 25, 2011 4:05 am

No, it's a MUCH older (and useful) material, not directly related with monitors, but indirectly....

ChrisR · Post by **ChrisR** » Sun Dec 25, 2011 5:13 pm

Second one is Santa's tire tracks in the snow?

Pau · Post by **Pau** » Mon Dec 26, 2011 2:16 am

Well, it's Chritsmas time, but tires are not optical materials and because the magnification of the last one is about 75X on sensor...it would be a micro Santa

Mitch640 · Post by **Mitch640** » Mon Dec 26, 2011 4:32 am

I'm not good at these things, but in my mind, #2 could have something to do with the eye of a fly, maybe the inside surface?

Pau · Post by **Pau** » Mon Dec 26, 2011 5:59 am

#2 is the same sample as #1 but taken with a 50X objective

Mitch, you get closer than others, but... I don't know about any insect reading the forum posts, despite they are usual models.

Cactusdave · Post by **Cactusdave** » Mon Dec 26, 2011 8:34 am

It reminds me of the edge of a feather barbule, or even an insect scale, but the magnifications don't seem to fit.

Pau · Post by **Pau** » Mon Dec 26, 2011 9:05 am

Dave, no feathers or scales are so important for us

Clues reminder:
- It's an optic material
- The brown color isn't original.
- If you are reading this post, you have it for sure.
- ... I don't know about any insect reading the forum posts...
- old (and useful) material, not directly related with monitors, but indirectly....
- First image 16X objective, second one 50X objective, both transmitted DIC
- No feathers or scales are so important for us

New clue:
- It's natural and organic

rjlittlefield · Post by **rjlittlefield** » Mon Dec 26, 2011 9:17 am

Section of the lens of an eye?

--Rik

Pau · Post by **Pau** » Mon Dec 26, 2011 9:33 am

rjlittlefield wrote:Section of the lens of an eye?
--Rik

YES!

At the end...it was for Optics lovers

It is a microtome section of crystalline lens fibers, cells without nucleus and organelles filled with the protein crystallin. The diamater of the cells is about 5 micron.
This is from an unknown mammal, and it's preserved in an antique stained slide
You can find more info and its location in the crystalline in the Wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eye_lens

SEM image showing this prismatic structure at http://www.sciencephoto.com/media/308788/enlarge