Communications of the ACM
Not to Be Sneezed At: How 3D Printing Is Supersizing the Tiny World of Pollen
Researchers in Cardiff Universitys bioimaging hub produced three-dimensional replicas of pollen samples.
Credit: Tony Hayes/Cardiff University
Oliver Wilson at the U.K.'s University of Reading created a platform for three-dimensionally (3D)-printing oversized models of pollen grains from high-quality scans.
The online 3D Pollen Project allows anyone to print grain replicas, and pollen from 35 plant species has been scanned and modeled to date.
Wilson developed the platform with researchers at the U.K.'s Hull and Cardiff universities, and New Zealand's Massey University.
The team created a set of accurate, 3D-printed scale models of pollen grains up to 3,000 times their actual size.
Bee ecologists in Brazil, U.S. school teachers, and Irish archaeologists are among those using the models.
Wilson said, "I'd like to create a broad spectrum with each branch of the tree of plant life represented, for researchers, schools, and other users."
From The Guardian (U.K.)
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