Contrast and resolution enhancement in a confocal terahertz video system.

The effect of image contrast enhancement without the loss of the spectral composition of the radiation under investigation has been experimentally demonstrated for a terahertz far-field video system. The result has been obtained by using a confocal aperture placed in the intermediate-focus region of the optical system. The result is a fundamental advance towards the achievement of subwavelength resolution and the contrast of microscopy video systems in the terahertz spectral range

Burgess Shale-Type Microfossils from the Middle Cambrian Kaili Formation, Guizhou Province, China

Diverse carbonaceous microfossils, including exceptionally preserved remains of non−biomineralizing metazoans, are reported from a basal middle Cambrian interval of the Kaili Formation (Guizhou Province, China). The application of a gentle acid maceration technique complements previous palynological studies by revealing a larger size−class of acritarchs, a richer assemblage of filamentous microfossils, and a variety of previously unrecovered forms. Metazoan fossils include Wiwaxia sclerites and elements derived from biomineralizing taxa, including chancelloriids, brachiopods and hyolithids, in common with previously studied assemblages from the early and middle Cambrian of Canada. In addition, the Kaili Formation has yielded pterobranch remains and an assemblage of cuticle fragments representing “soft−bodied” worms, including a priapulid−like scalidophoran. Our results demonstrate the wide distribution and palaeobiological importance of microscopic “Burgess Shale−type” fossils, and provide insights into the limitations and potential of this largely untapped preservational mode