Imagine Magazine - Johns Hopkins - January/February 2012 - (Page 24)

I gor Siwanowicz has a gift for showing us insects as we’ve never seen them. In 2010, he won the International Olympus BioScapes Photo Competition for a photo he took through a light microscope of the eyes of a Daddy Longlegs. In 2011, he won the Nikon Small World Photography Competition, another contest for photos taken using microscopes, for a 20X magnification of a green lacewing larva. But when he turns a macro lens—specifically, a 100mm lens—on insects, we see even more than the beauty of their colors and intricacy of their forms. We see what looks like personality. Last fall, Deviantart.com honored Siwanowicz with a Deviousness Award, citing the photographer’s ability to “capture human-like qualities in the smallest creatures.” We chose a few of our favorites (from among hundreds of stunning images) and asked Igor to tell us about these creatures. African Mega-Mantis Plistospilota guineensis showing off. Dead-Leaf Praying Mantis Deroplatys lobata in a threatening pose. M AC Ro M E N AG E R I E Photos by Igor Siwanowicz See more of Igor Siwanowicz’s photos at http://photo.net/photos/Siwanowicz and http://blepharopsis.deviantart.com. The mantid’s primary defense tactic is camouﬂage; looking like a leaf, it blends in with the background, becoming invisible to predators. When that tactic fails, the mantis still has an ace up its sleeve: it throws its arms up, raises its wings, and assumes a bold stance, making it appear twice as large. Confusing a predator for a second is all it needs to disappear by taking a dive into the foliage. Giant Malaysian Shield Mantis Rhombodera basalis shows its colors in a threatening display. A cluster of a stink bug’s eggs shortly before the nymphs hatched. The fully formed redpigmented eyes are visible through the eggshell. http://www.Deviantart.com http://www.photo.net/photos/Siwanowicz http://blepharopsis.deviantart.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Imagine Magazine - Johns Hopkins - January/February 2012

Imagine Magazine - Johns Hopkins - January/February 2012
Contents
Big Picture
In My Own Words
Reading Tea Leaves
iGEM: Synthetic Biology, Brick by Brick
Young Biologists, Big Discoveries
My Journey to the International Biology Olympiad
Lab Notes
Macro Menagerie
My Summer at SIMR
Selected Opportunities & Resources
The World on Stage
Lessons from Chess
Off the Shelf
Word Wise
Exploring Career Options
One Step Ahead
Planning Ahead for College
Students Review
Creative Minds Imagine
Mark Your Calendar
Knossos Games

Imagine Magazine - Johns Hopkins - January/February 2012