The back of the $10,000 note depicts the future direction of our economy, one which is knowledge-based and technology-driven. It features a research scientist working on high-technology laboratory equipment. A microprocessor and a silicon wafer, representing Singapore's drive to create a high-tech manufacturing hub, are seen in the backdrop on the left and right-hand side respectively. Partial sequences of two proteins, the tyrosine kinase and the tyrosine phosphatase, representing two important breakthroughs in research by the Institute of Molecular and Cell

Biology (IMCB) appear at the top. A subtle background pattern of the printed circuit board completes the design.

The Onyx Cowrie (Cypraea onyx Linnaeus, 1758) is also shown on the $10,000 note. The jet black base, the brown and usually banded back and the white pearly overlay on the sides or the whole shell make identification of this species easy. The mantle of the live specimen is greyish with many tiny circular dots very closely distributed on it. A variant of this animal from Sri Lanka is reportedly considered a food item.

An Indo-West Pacific cowries, this species has been reported from shallow muddy water in Singapore as well as at depths of 30 m or more in Japan.