Hildoceras bifrons (Bruguière, 1789) is a cosmopolite ammonite species from the Lower Jurassic of the Boreal and Mediterranean (Tethys) palaeogeographical provinces. Inter-demic and phylogenetic ...variability are noticeable, also affecting the most distinctive morphological trait: the spiral groove along the whorl flank. Since the XIX century, however, a number of morphotypes assigned to Hildoceras bifrons (many of which from the Apennines and other Italian localities) lacked a neat spiral groove, replaced by a shallow, variably evident and discontinuous inflection. Buckman (1918) provided a photographic illustration of a specimen he interpreted as corresponding to the holotype, until then represented by a drawing described by Lister (1678) as Ammonis cornu. Buckman’s illustration assessed the well-carved spiral groove as a distinctive feature of the holotype and a trademark of the species. Nevertheless, several authors insisted on referring faintly grooved specimens to Hildoceras bifrons, an attitude thus envisaged as due to their negligence or inaccuracy. In contrast with this view, it is herein argued that, on one hand, the specimen illustrated by Buckman, in quality of holotype or neotype, differs from Lister’s drawing to a point that it may not be the same specimen; on the other hand, Lister’s drawing (never formally invalidated as holotype) could have been legitimately considered representative also of those faintly grooved Hildoceras now assigned to Hildoceras lusitanicum Meister, 1913. This alternative view clarifies the taxonomic approach held by many authors, proving the coherency of their taxonomic work rather than their attitude at a superficial evaluation of diagnostic traits.
Nowadays only digital figures are accepted by the most important journals of taxonomy. These may be produced by scanning conventional drawings, made with high precision technical ink-pens, which ...normally use capillary cartridge and various line widths. Digital drawing techniques that use vector graphics, have already been described in literature to support scientists in drawing figures and plates for scientific illustrations; these techniques use many different software and hardware devices. The present work gives step-by-step instructions on how to make accurate line drawings with a new procedure that uses bitmap graphics with the GNU Image Manipulation Program (GIMP). This method is noteworthy: it is very accurate, producing detailed lines at the highest resolution; the raster lines appear as realistic ink-made drawings; it is faster than the traditional way of making illustrations; everyone can use this simple technique; this method is completely free as it does not use expensive and licensed software and it can be used with different operating systems. The method has been developed drawing figures of terrestrial isopods and some examples are here given.
A fast and accurate way for making perfect scientific illustrations is described. A pencil drawing or a photo is scanned. The resulting file is imported into Adobe Illustrator and the line drawing is ...made using a WACOM Intuos digitiser board. After the habitus and detail drawings have been made, plates can be arranged using the same software. Lettering and arrows can be added very quickly. The plates can be exported as graphics files for printing or further manipulation.
From 1865 to 1869, on a "government order", Louis Pasteur tackled a silkworm disease, the pebrine, which was ruining the economy of southern France. Well beyond the scientific results-he was going to ...highlight a second disease, the flacherie-and the operational results-he installed techniques to limit the progression of one disease and protected the farms from the other-, this sequence opened the door to what would become Pasteur's working method: a science involved in practice, a great importance given to the team of collaborators and to innovations of all kinds, in this case, microphotography. It also establishes the characteristics of the socialization of the Pasteurian approach: diffusion of methods among all the social actors concerned, networking of scientists and internationalization of research.
The visualization of animals in order to categorize their position in the great chain of being was one of the primary interests of natural history in early modern times. According to contemporary ...opinion, the greatest challenge lay in the precise depiction of animals unknown and those not visible to the naked eye. The focus here will be on a graphic from Claude Perrault's
Description anatomique
of 1669, the plates and writings of Maria Sibylla Merian from around 1700 and the remarks and pictorial plates from the work of René-Antoine Ferchault de Réaumur, published in the first half of the eighteenth century. These case studies are used to illustrate the way in which natural historians of the early modern period, in their modes of representation, employed an ‘aesthetic of epistemological interest’ in order to transmit the knowledge of animals. Picturing life in the early modern age meant making the simultaneity of various stages, actually only perceived in a temporal sequence, available at a glance. In such a way, knowledge of unknown and invisible animals was conveyed along with that of the naturalist procedures that produced this knowledge.
•Improved identification of infective larvae with a morphological key is proposed.•Intestinal cell characteristics displayed high differences between L3 types.•Classification of larval types reduces ...the probable species in equine faecal samples.•Identification key will increase the diagnostic of classical parasitology techniques.
Cyathostomins comprise around 50 parasite species of equids, offering a great challenge regarding their individual identification. The objective of our work was to improve identification of infective third stage larvae (L3) with a morphological key supplemented with detailed scientific illustrations based on our research and available literature. The highlighted features were; the number, arrangement, and shape of intestinal cells (IC), general features and the total body length of the eight different Cyathostomin sensu latum types (Type A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H), Gyalocephalus capitatus, and Posteriostomum spp. Due to variability, we were unable to define final body length measurements to differentiate L3 of cyathostomins. However, IC characteristics displayed a higher difference between L3 types than total body length. Through the number and arrangement of IC, 14 species were classified within three larval types. The classification of L3 into distinct larval types sensu latum gives us the advantage of reducing the number of probable species presented in equine faecal samples using a low-cost technique when monitoring the parasite fauna present in individual horses or on the farm level. The present improved identification key shall increase the diagnostic capabilities of classical equine parasitology techniques, using general L3 morphology thereby pragmatically improving regional and transnational epidemiological and biodiversity studies. The present key may also assist in defining the cyathostomin community in cyathostominosis clinical cases and within drug resistant populations across different management systems and geographical locations.
In the context of globalization, the integration of cultural elements into scientific research, particularly through the incorporation of traditional Chinese cultural motifs in scientific ...illustrations, represents a novel frontier in enhancing the universality and appeal of scientific discoveries. This paper explores the innovative practice of embedding traditional Chinese cultural elements into scientific paper illustrations, highlighting its significant role in augmenting the global appeal of research findings, promoting diversity and innovation in scientific inquiry, and facilitating cross-cultural understanding. Through a series of case studies, including symbolic representations of ancient myths and the use of traditional themes to elucidate complex scientific phenomena, we demonstrate how this cultural integration not only makes scientific content more accessible and engaging but also fosters a deeper appreciation of Chinese heritage among international audiences. This approach not only bridges the gap between science and culture but also contributes to a more inclusive and interconnected global scientific community, underscoring the importance of cultural diversity in enriching scientific exploration and communication. Keywords: Scientific illustrations, Traditional Chinese Elements, Cross-cultural communication
Scientific texts are often multimodal, consisting of both text and illustrations. However, previous research indicates that young readers are poor at using text-and-illustration integration ...strategies and at in-depth processing of scientific illustration information. This study used an experimental paradigm to teach strategies of illustration reading and text-and-illustration integration to fourth-grade students. The study manipulated reading ability (high vs. low level) and teaching strategy (presence vs. absence of reading strategies instruction) as between-subjects variables. Seventy-one participants completed a prior-knowledge test, read two illustrated biology texts, and answered comprehension questions. The results showed that the instructed groups outperformed the control groups on the overall reading test, and in the illustration memory and integration items. It was inspiring to discover that teaching fourth-grade students of both high and low reading ability levels to pay attention to scientific illustrations, process them in-depth, and consider the relationship between textual descriptions and detailed parts of illustrations benefited these young readers in reading comprehension and acquiring scientific knowledge.
Los medios de comunicación han desempeñando en España un papel destacado en la cobertura informativa de la Covid-19. Tras los primeros casos detectados, se vieron obligados a desarrollar con urgencia ...representaciones gráficas del virión del SARS-CoV-2 para hablar de un enemigo invisible y desconocido. Este estudio parte del análisis de estas primeras representaciones mediáticas para determinar cómo, durante la primera ola, contribuyeron a conformar un imaginario visual del virus en la población española. Para ello, se ha analizado una muestra válida de 369 dibujos de viriones del SARS-CoV-2 realizados por adultos durante junio y julio de 2020 y se ha` comparado con las representaciones gráficas ofrecidas por los informativos de televisión y la prensa en papel entre enero y abril de 2020 en España y con las principales imágenes del SARS-CoV-2 difundidas por la comunidad científica. El estudio concluye que el imaginario predominante se aproxima en mayor medida a los patrones representativos ofrecidos por los informativos de televisión, a pesar de ser una representación menos científica del virus que la ofrecida por la prensa en papel. Asimismo, los patrones representacionales presentan dos especificidades a destacar: espículas terminadas en punta, que otorga agresividad al virión y rasgos faciales expresivos propios de una humanización o animalización en la representación del virión.
John Buchanan was New Zealand's first locally-based official scientific illustrator, preparing illustrations for a wide range of scientific publications. He was also an experienced botanist, ...publishing papers on the local flora. From 1862 until his retirement in 1885 Buchanan worked as an assistant to James Hector, undertaking fieldwork and a variety of technical projects. From 1868 onwards he undertook the time-consuming task of preparing illustrations for the first eighteen volumes of the Transactions of the New Zealand Institute.
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