Special issue stamps by a Basel alumnus.

In March 2020, molecular biologist Dr. Martin Oeggerli, a University of Basel alumnus, created two special issue stamps for Swiss Post. Oeggerli uses a scanning electron microscope to photograph minuscule scenes from the natural world, before lovingly coloring the black and white originals in exquisite detail.

The results of his labors are precise, colorful and largeformat depictions of an exotic and largely unknown microworld that are published in prestigious journals and exhibited internationally.

The one-franc special issue stamp shows a rose petal, while the second stamp, worth 85 rappen, features minute pollen grains of the forget-me-not. Oeggerli studied at the University of Basel from 1994 to 2000, and went on to earn a doctorate in molecular biology in 2005. He has since made a name for himself with his striking illustrations of scientific phenomena, published under the pseudonym Micronaut.

“It was only when I realized that they were to be found on the scale of bacteria that I was able to image the smallest pollen grains in the world,” says the researcher, artist and recipient of numerous awards.