Beautiful Science
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PHOTO: YAN YU TING/NTU ASIAN SCHOOL OF THE ENVIRONMENT
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When it comes to foraminifera - forams, for short - there is more than meets the eye.
These single-cell organisms form their shells using carbon and oxygen from their watery surroundings. In so doing, they also keep a record of the environmental conditions around them, such as water temperature and salinity.
After they die, they sink into the seafloor and their shells are preserved in the sediment.
The shells in this image measure between 50 microns and 200 microns, about the width of one to two strands of human hair.
The researcher who arranged them is Ms Yan Yu Ting, a PhD candidate with the Coastal Lab at Nanyang Technological University's (NTU) Earth Observatory of Singapore.
Ms Yan said she arranged these forams in the shape of Singapore since they were found in a sediment core taken from the Kallang River basin in downtown Singapore.
"These forams were deposited approximately 6,000 to 9,000 years ago," she said.
"Not only are these microfossils pretty to look at, but they also provide a record of the climate variability in the region during this period."
Her image clinched the merit award at the 2020 Art Competition organised by NTU's College of Science.
