2007 Best Science Image Award

A striking image of seaweed reveals the complexity in a simple organism. The specimen, Irish moss-Chondrus crispus, is a common North Atlantic red algae. It's collected for its carrageenan, a substance used as a thickener in food processing. Andrea Alii, a student in the Department of Plant Sciences at the University of Maryland, won first place in the 2007 International Science and Engineering Visualization Challenge in the Nature Photography category for his horticultural artistry. The Best Science Image Awards are presented annually by the National Science Foundation and Science Magazine to select the images that best communicate complicated scientific information and concepts. This year's winners will be announced in the September 28th issue of Science Magazine.