Science isn't all about examining graphs and charts. In this weekly column, staff writer Andrea Alfano puts together the most striking science images from the past week's news for your viewing pleasure. Scroll down to find phenomenal images and fascinating facts about the science behind them.


Discoveries abounded this week, with new species of nautilus, lizard and crustacean. Rare minerals and an unexpected virus found in seal livers also reminded us of how many surprises are still waiting to be found on our planet.

As dry as California has gotten, it has a long way to go before it reaches Atacama-level aridity. Located in northern Chile, the Atacama Desert is the driest place on Earth, apart from the poles. It is the ultimate test of sustainable water resource management, which is why scientists studied the behavior of the region's aquifers and published their findings in the journal Geosphere this week. NASA's Terra satellite snapped this shot of the Atacama desert using its advanced space-borne thermal emission and reflection radiometer (ASTER) back in 2001.

This is a 3D model of a tumor, with the different types of cells shown in different colors. Aside from looking neat, such 3D models are useful for examining cancerous tumors because they allow scientists to track tiny movements of particular cells and watch how they influence the growth of the tumor. This allowed a group of scientists to figure out that seemingly minuscule movements of cells can have major effects on tumor growth, and that treatments targeting these movements could help halt the progression of the disease. They reported their findings this week in the journal Nature.