James E. Hayden, RBP
Porcupine Quill Tip
Photomicrographer James E. Hayden, RBP has been a consistent winner of the Small World competition for many years. Featured below is a photomicrograph of a porcupine quill tip specimen taken with polarized light.
Porcupine Quill Tip
Original Magnification: 46.7x
Specimen: Unstained dry mount
Technique: Polarized Light
Keratinized structures like hair or this porcupine quill exhibit a property called anisotropism, in that the structure has more than one refractive index. When viewed between crossed polarized filters, these structures create a beautiful spectrum of interference colors. Other biological specimens such as bone or fingernails also react this way. Many chemicals, like ethylene glycol or common table salt are also anisotropic and can be identified using polarization techniques.
All photomicrographs in this gallery are ©2000 by James E. Hayden, RBP. All rights are reserved. Images may not be posted on the Internet or used in any other manner without specific written permission from the copyright owner.
