Zoom Gallery header image

It's like having your own microscope. Pick one of the Zoom Galleries below to explore and then have fun zooming in and moving around each image.

Ant Gallery (Get up-close to ants)

Written by: 
Dr. Biology

Now is the time to check out these amazing animals from the safety of your own computer. Click on any of the ant images in the gallery below and use the zoom tool to explore the amazing animals.  Once you take a closer look you are sure to agree that you would not want to be a tiny tasty morsel standing around these girls. Yes all these are worker ants and so they are females. We also have a companion story about ants that you might like to check out.

Bone Zoom Gallery (Up-close Inside Bones)

Written by: 
Jeff Kerr

Take a look at the microscopic world of bone in our virtual bone histology lab. Just pick a microscope slide from below and click on it to view under the virtual microscope. You can zoom in and explore the different parts of the bone. Move around and explore on your own or you can click on the locator buttons to move to a specific part of the bone.

Feather Zoom Gallery (Feathers up-close)

Written by: 
Dr. Biology

There is nothing like seeing a feather up close. To help you do this we borrowed some feathers from some or our scientists and researchers and took pictures with a special scanner and microscope so you can get a close look at them. Click on any of the feathers in the gallery below and then zoom in and explore. We also have a companion story about feathers that you might like to check out.

Plankton Zoom Gallery (Plankton up-close)

Written by: 
Dr. Biology

Plankton comes in many shapes and sizes. These are just a few of the thousands of examples. Click on any of the plankton samples in the gallery below and use the zoom tool to explore the different shapes and textures of these amazing organisms.

Want to learn more about plankton? We also have a companion story called Invisible Watery World that you might like to check out.

Pollen Gallery (Pollen up-close)

Written by: 
Dr. Biology

Pollen comes in many shapes and sizes. These are just a few of the thousands of examples. Click on any of the pollen grains in the gallery below and use the zoom tool to explore the amazing shapes and textures of pollen. These images are all from a scanning electron microscope (S.E.M.). We also have a companion story abut pollen and how it is used to solve crimes that you might like to check out.

Tiger Beetle Zoom Gallery (Up-close with tiger beetles)

Written by: 
Dr. Biology

Some of the fastest animals on Earth are below. That’s right, if these tiny insects were as large as a horse they would be running 200 miles an hour. These tiger beetles were captured using a special microscope and software that takes many pictures at different depths and then builds a single sharp image. The work was done at the International Institute for Species Exploration.

It's like having your own microscope! Visit our Zoom Gallery to explore and have fun zooming in and moving around each image.

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