Ich bin ein Berliner...

...well, you know this is not true. But despite the cold, I very much enjoy my trip to Berlin. The river Spree carries sheets of ice - can't believe my eyes. I've never seen this in a river in Switzerland, actually.

'Images of Research' - 'Bilder der Forschung'...

...a slave of detail in front of his winning entry 'What's the face of cancer?', which was exhibited at large during the award ceremony in Berlin.

'Images of Research' represents one of the most popular scientific photography competitions worldwide. The jury annually presents outstanding images from two categories ('Fascination of Research' and 'Faces of Research'). In parallel, the traveling exhibition has attracted more than four million people since 2005.

'Images of Research' - 'Bilder der Forschung'...

...yes, it's the same guy, posing in front of another winning image (3rd place, category 'Fascination of Research' 2009). The image depicts two florets from a small composite plant (a daisy flower, to be precise) and thereby demonstrates intraspecific diversity as a powerful result of evolution acting over millions of years.

Micronaut has devoted this work to the english Naturalist Sir Charles Darwin, which was born 1809 and published the groundbraking theory about evolution through natural selection at the age of 50.

'Image of the Month' - Dec 2010...

...on Micronaut.ch (December 2010) shows prostate cancer cells cultured in vitro at the University Hospital in Basel. Exploring the functional properties and interaction of cancer cells leads to a better unterstanding of the progression from primary tumour to metastatic disease in the future.

Preparing, scanning and coloring the image took more than 1 week in total. The original frame measures 100x70 cm (39x27 in) and offers countless, most delicate cell-cell interactions.

Asian Design Lamp... ?

Micronaut's new feature story 'Exquisite Castaways' has been released by National Geographic Japan.

While the egg of a Julian Heliconian seems to be the prototype of asiatic design, the species is native to South-America.