Exploring the jack pine tight knit family tree

Pictured are developing phloem, cambial, and xylem cells (blue), and mature xylem cells (red), in the outermost portion of a jack pine tree. This research aims to identify the influences of climate on the cellular development of the species at its northern limit in Yellowknife, NT. The differences in these cell formations is what creates the annual tree ring boundary.

Jury Prize

People’s Choice Award

High potential of cannabis little helpers

Among fungi that attack plants, some are causing important damages to cannabis plants. Fourteen of those pathogenic fungi are grown here on artificial media. Each develops a different color as the fluffy mycelium grows radially, until it reaches the edges of the Petri dish.

Jury Prize

Draining the swamp

The image shows the simulation of groundwater flowing towards circular openings in a plastic drainage pipe buried in the soil used as part of the underground drainage system on farmlands. Its function is two-fold: reducing environmental pollutants to waterways by reducing surface runoff, and increasing crop and water productivity by controlling the groundwater level for optimum growth.

Jury Prize

Waltz in two-four time

When two small water jets meet, they intertwine in a curious pattern to minimize surface energy. This “dance” appears simple but is actually complex to describe. The study of this phenomenon allows for a better understanding of the fundamentals of the mechanical behaviour of water.

Jury Prize

Highly toxic plankton

One of the many microorganisms inhabiting ports in the Canadian arctic is Dinophysis acuminata, an especially toxic member of the dinoflagellate group. The toxin it produces accumulates in molluscs and fish, contaminating the entire food chain, right up to humans. In collaboration with local populations, scientists take samples regularly to monitor for the presence of these micro-invaders with macro-impacts.

Jury Prize

Arson

Light and sturdy, composite materials are widely used in the aerospace industry. While the carbon fibres are fire-resistant, the synthetic resins are flammable, as the image suggests. A small-scale test bed can be used to understand the complex process of combustion and its impact on the mechanical properties of materials.

Jury Prize

Etching reminiscent of Digitalis purpurea

These unlikely structures, about 350 microns tall and only a few microns wide, were created when plasma etching of a silicon wafer—a standard procedure in the manufacture of microprocessors—went awry. This microscopic accident did not lead to a scientific discovery but rather to an artistic revelation reminiscent of Purple Foxglove.

People’s Choice Award

Family reunion

Ready to join the hunt, 15-year-old Billy hugs his Ajaq (aunt), Caroline Weetaltuk, who taught him everything he knows about this tradition. They were both involved in setting up a model “family” home where intergenerational relationships and knowledge-sharing are front and centre. In this applied research project, photography served to document the population’s activities and knowledge.

Special Jury Prize – Espace pour la vie

A Procession of synchronized tsunamis in a bucket

This image represents a series of synchronized rotating waves inside a fluid which is rotating inside a cylindrical container. This phenomenon is relatively similar to movement of Tsunamis through the oceans. Using image processing techniques, the speed of the waves can be calculated generating data about the behavior of Tsunami waves.

Arctic Canada and Siberia, distant relatives

Geologists at McGill University are investigating Elwin Inlet in northern Baffin Island, Nunavut for similarities with rocks in Siberia to determine if these landmasses were connected over a billion years ago and when they eventually split apart. Camped high above the sea in order to stay clear of polar bears, the researchers scrambled their way up a steep gulley to study and sample these cliffs.

Beauty is skin deep

This anatomical dissection of a cadaver demonstrates the depth of the facial artery and surrounding vessels. Direct injection of any substrate into the facial artery can lead to ischemia, necrosis and even blindness. Therefore, novice aesthetic physicians should be familiar with arterial blood supply patterns in order to create safe injection zones for aesthetic filler treatments.

Calcium roses in a cerebellar garden

When thinking of calcium you may think of strong bones, but calcium plays an even more important role in your brain. Every time you run, jump or dance, neurons in the cerebellum region of the brain use calcium to co-ordinate your movements. Purkinje cells (seen in pink) use calcium as a messenger molecule to coordinate your actions, and when this process is disrupted it can cause problems with movement.

Colorful salts on the surface of a bioprinting material

The image shows the salts on the surface of a bioprinting material comprised of alginate and gelatin. This composite material is a good candidate for bioprinting and tissue fabrication. The salts reside on the surface of the composite, showing cubic shapes. The porous structure seen as the background in the image allows the exchange of gas and nutrients through the material, which is imperative for cell survival.

Colours of a clear wing

While the 1mm minute wings of the lesser dung fly Bromoloecia abundantia may appear translucent, viewing them against a black background reveals a kaleidoscope of colours that make up the Wing Interference Patterns. These hidden colour patterns proved valuable for the description and identification of new and previously unseen species in the genus Bromeloecia.

Details in the stitching

The Guelph Dairy Bush is a 7-hectare wood lot on the University of Guelph campus. For 8 years, biodiversity students have captured a weekly high-resolution 360° panorama within the Dairy Bush. This digitally documented scene helps us to follow transitions in the Dairy Bush and use the knowledge to predict future changes.

Explosive yellow toad breeding

During the change from dry to wet season in Central America these Yellow Toads (Incilius luetkenii) emerge and congregate by the hundreds to breed in ephemeral ponds created by the heavy seasonal rains. Researchers at the University of Windsor are studying why only the males turn bright yellow for mating and which hormones cause the colour change.

For the love of bone

Bone is a living tissue that needs to rejuvenate itself constantly through a process called ‘remodeling’. Younger bones (left) are growing, showing newly formed bone (green/yellow color), whereas bones in middle-aged adults (right) are mature and only regular maintenance takes place.

La framboise

This perfectly formed cluster of pyrite minerals resembles a tiny raspberry, hence the name ‘framboidal pyrite’. These minerals are preserved in ancient marine sedimentary rocks in the Michigan Basin, from 450 million years ago. By studying framboidal pyrite, we can piece together what the marine life was like in the Paleozoic era, and how it has evolved over time.

Life in low oxygen

Oxygen minimum zones (OMZs) are regions of the deep ocean where oxygen naturally occur at low levels. The hairy pteropod, Clio recurva, is one of many species that occur in the offshore OMZ of Pacific Canada. Researchers are cataloguing the diversity of life in this region to aid in marine protection by Fisheries and Oceans Canada.

Mending a broken heart

Researchers at McGill University are developing a novel treatment that utilizes the body’s own heart cells to regenerate tissue damaged during heart attacks. This image shows genetically engineered human heart muscle cells that are able to protect themselves from the maladaptive cellular remodelling that occurs after a heart attack.