Pictured: The irritating grains of pollen that look like beautiful works of art under the microscope
By Daily Mail Reporter Schience And Tech
Last updated at 8:09 AM on 25th March 2011
They look like beautiful works of abstract art that you could frame and hang on your wall.
But these brightly coloured shapes are the last thing you would want in your house - particularly if you suffer from hay fever. The stunning forms are in fact microscopic allergy-inducing pollens placed under a Scanning Electron Microscope.
Under the microscope: Two grains of cocksfoot grass pollen, a major cause of hay fever
Anything but plain: A plane tree pollen grain
The images were taken by
retired scientific photographer Steve Gschmeissner using an SEM so
powerful objects invisible to the naked eye can be brought into sharp
relief.
The detailed
pictures unlock the hidden 3D patterns of the grains, which individually
are not noticed when breathed in, but en-mass are the seasonal bane of
millions of sufferers.
Colourful: A chickweed pollen grain from a chickweed flower
Summertime blues: Pollen grains from the Artemisia plant, a type of mugwort
Grass pollens and others like
rape seed are well known causers of the allergic reaction as the tiny
grains enter the respiratory system and trigger sneezes, itchy throats,
running noses and watery eyes.
Allergy
UK advises hayfever sufferers to keep windows closed especially in the
early mornings and evenings when the pollen count is at its highest.
As many as 32 million Britons could suffer from pollen related allergies - up from the current number of 15 million.
Cool: Believe it or not, cucumber pollen grains, pictured here, can be just as irritating to hay fever sufferers
Alien: An elder tree pollen grain magnified millions of times
Exotic fruit? No, it's nothing more than common ragweed pollen grains
Pain in the grass: These grass pollen grains are a major cause of summer allergies
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