Life Magnified Stamps

With 20 otherworidly images, this issuance explores life on Earth, as few have ever seen it. The pane features images takerusing microscopes and highly specialized photographic techniques to capture details of life undetectable by the human eye.

The stamps include vivid images of red blood cells, the feather of a macaw parrot, a knotted strand of human halir. mosseaves, diatom shelis (photosvnthesizina alaael. freshwater orotozoans, an acorn bamacle. a moth's antenna. the front foot oia diving beetle, neurons from a mouse's brain, bone tissue from a starling, scales on the wing of a Madagascan sunset motha luvenle zebratish, mushroom glls, the tongue of a freshwater snal, a blue buon (an organism simlar to a lelvtish). moldspores, the legs (known as cirri of a barnacle, flame lily pollen, and the surface of a southern ive oak leaf.

For hundreds of vears, scientists have held deep fascination with making the invisible elements of our world visible. Theimages that result from microscope-based research show, in exquisitely fine detai, the phenomena of life. While stunning ontheir own as works of art, these images also hold scientific significance.

Microscopists. both professional and amateur. use a variety of technigues to capture the beauty of their subiects, A scannincelectron microscope (SEM), which directs beams of electrons at a sample and then records the electrons emitted by thatsample, can provide an extended depth of field giving the impression of a three-dimensional subject. SEMs produce blackand-white images that are often colorized by scientists.

Confocal microscopy is a process that scans a specimen to create several optical sections ofthe subject. Scientists then stackthese images to provide an extended depth of feld civing the impression of a three-dimensional reconstruction of the subiect.

Many more technigues and equipment exist for capturing specimens in ever greater detail.Art director Derry Noyes designed the stamps and the stamp pane using existing photographsThe Life Maanified stamps are being issued as Forever® stamps. These Forever stamps will always be equal in value to thecurrent First-Class Mail® one-ounce price.

Made in the USA