http://www.sciencemag.org/icons/logo.science-aaas.113x60.gif http://www.sciencemag.org/vis2008/show/ On 26 September 2008, Science Magazine and the National Science Foundation honor the creators of eye-catching images and animated presentations in the sixth annual Science and Engineering Visualization Challenge. Browse the striking sights, sounds, and motion that represent the winners and honorable mentions in this year's visualization challenge. http://www.sciencemag.org/vis2008/show/ Mario De Stefano (Second University of Naples) used a scanning electron microscope to capture these images of the diatom <i>Licmophora ehrenbergii</i> from the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Italy. http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/321/5897/1768#article1 Andrew Davidhazy (Rochester Institute of Technology) attached a tiny motor to a cotton string, causing it to spin 10 to 20 times during an exposure of about 2 seconds. http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/321/5897/1768#article2 In this colorized electron micrograph, captured by Jessica D. Schiffman and Caroline L. Schauer (Drexel University), the tiny yet powerful suckers used by squid to latch onto their prey come to life. http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/321/5897/1768#article3 Ye Jin Eun and Douglas B. Weibel (University of Wisconsin, Madison) discovered the beauty that can result when a combination of polyethylene glycol and an elastomeric polymer meet water. http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/321/5897/1768#article4 This illustration, created by Linda Nye and the Exploratorium Visualization Laboratory in San Francisco, captures the breadth of the human circulatory system. http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/321/5897/1768#article5 Chris Harrison (Carnegie Mellon Univ.) and Christoph Römhild (North Elbian Evangelical Lutheran Church) present an illustrated Bible in which vertical bars along the bottom represent chapters and arcs represent references from a chapter in one book to a chapter in another. http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/321/5897/1768#article6 Donald Bliss and Sriram Subramaniam (National Library of Medicine, NIH) used ion-abrasion scanning electron microscopy to highlight the nucleus (dark sphere), mitochondria (pink), and endoplasmic reticulum (gold) in a melanoma cell. http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/321/5897/1768#article7 In this whimsical graphic by Colleen Champ and Dennis Kunkel (Concise Image Studios), micrographs recreate a fairy tale scene... http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/321/5897/1768#article8 Andrew Dopheide and Gillian Lewis (University of Aukland) created this poster illustrating the main types of organisms found in stream biofilms and their interactions and ecological roles within stream ecosystems. http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/321/5897/1768#article9 Created by Jeremy Friedberg and colleagues (Spongelab Interactive) and Tommy Sors (Purdue University), the Genomics Digital Lab uses flash animation and 3D graphics to present plant life in a dynamic light. http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/321/5897/1768#article10 Janet Iwasa (Massachusetts General Hospital) produced this Web site using animation to illustrate topics such as how the original RNA polymers were assembled from nucleotides. http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/321/5897/1768#article11 Created by Travis Vermilye and Kenneth Eward, this movie explores some of the basic science behind the research projects of the Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, including protein synthesis and neuronal firing. http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/321/5897/1768#article12 This movie by Mirjam Kaplow and Katharina Strohmeier (Fraunhofer FIRST, Germany) explains how computer worms and viruses operate and how computer software protects against them. http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/321/5897/1768#article13 Etsuko Uno and Drew Berry (Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Australia) help explain how the immune system works in this animation of the body's response to the bacterium that causes strep throat. http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/321/5897/1768#article14