THESE are the cutting-edge images that reveal the invisible beauty of owers beyond the bouquet. Artist Susumu Nishinaga uses a scanning electron microscope to delve deep into the fabric of petals, leaves and pollen. The Japanese artist then 'colours the images in' using a computer and reveal the building blocks of life. He said: "Almost everything on earth has been captured by photographers, but there is unknown beauty still waiting to be discovered in the micro world. The eye-opening collection includes geranium pollen, aubergine ower petals, pansies, lilies and the hibiscus plant. Mr Nishinaga originally trained as a graphic designer at university. Whilst there he visited a lab and saw a scanning electron microscope being used rst-hand. He was allowed a go on the machine and became 'hooked'. The high-cost equipment is able to produce images of the tiniest particles by scanning it with a focused beam of electrons. Mr Nishinaga has since had many books published and exhibitions commissioned in his native Japan.

NEON green lights reect in the freezing waters of southern Iceland in some of the clearest snaps of the aurora borealis ever taken. Media analyst Larry Gerbrandt, 60, captured the breathtaking naturally occurring phenomenon with state-of-the-art equipment last month. Larry, from San Juan Bautista, California, braved temperatures of minus 20 degrees and icy winds of up to 40 miles per hour during the expedition. Other pictures show waves of green and purple lights playing over a star-speckled sky above Grundarfjordur Harbour. Using the latest digital camera technology, Larry was able to record the borealis at its most magnicent. He said: "When the borealis appeared it was like a bomb going off - celestial reworks is the best way to describe it. "When I rst saw them I think I stood there with my mouth hanging open - it's totally jaw-dropping. "It's really outside of the human experience, completely mesmerizing. "I've taken photographs but I've never actually expected I would be able to take pictures that looked like postcards." Larry said using his Nikon D800E he was able to capture pictures clearer than any he has taken before. And he brought home a staggering 100,000 gigabytes of photos. He said: "My pictures really brought home to how good the current generation digital SLR sensors are. "We got to a point where they can see better than we can. We've crossed that threshold." The intrepid photographer even experienced a near-death moment when a glacier collapse inches from his feet. He said: "As I made my way along a ridge above a glacier, the edge gave way exposing a 60ft drop onto glacier ice and freezing water. "It was really scary, and I think my guardian angel was looking out for me that day." ENDS