Dr. María Alejandra Lopez-Verrilli Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile
Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas
Santiago, Chile
Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas
Santiago, Chile
Subject Matter:
(4x)Technique:
Nikola Rahme Budapest, Hungary
Subject Matter:
Hymenoptera: Eupelmidae (parasitic wasp)
(21.2x)Technique:
Mucins are a family of high molecular weight, heavily glycosylated proteins(glycoconjugates) produced by epithelial tissues in most metazoans.Mucins’ key characteristic is their ability to form gels; therefore they are a key component in most gel-like secretions, serving functions from lubrication to cell signalling to forming chemical barriers. They often take an inhibitory role. Some mucins are associated with controlling mineralization, including nacre formation in molluscs, calcification in echinoderms and bone formation in vertebrates.They bind to pathogens as part of the immune system. Overexpression of the mucin proteins, especially MUC1, is associated with many types of cancer.
Kiel, Germany
Specimen: Worker ant. Frontal view of the head of a pharaoh ant (Monomorium pharaonis), a common indoor pest.
Technique: Confocal microscopy
Stephen S. Nagy, MD Montana Diatoms
Helena, Montana, USA
Helena, Montana, USA
Subject Matter:
Antique microscope slide featuring thin section of diseased ivory
(15x)Technique:
By fitting a theoretical model of the composition of the Universe to the combined set of cosmological observations, scientists have come up with the composition that we described above, ~70% dark energy, ~25% dark matter,~5% normal matter
Dr. William B. Winborn The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio
San Antonio, Texas, USA
San Antonio, Texas, USA
Subject Matter:
Human epididymis duct
(650x)Technique:
In 1202, Italian mathematician Leonardo Pisano (also known as Fibonacci, meaning “son of Bonacci”) pondered the question: Given optimal conditions, how many pairs of rabbits can be produced from a single pair of rabbits in one year? This thought experiment dictates that the female rabbits always give birth to pairs, and each pair consists of one male and one female.
Rakesh Bhatnagar University of Alberta
Advanced Microscopy Facility, Department of Biological Sciences
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Advanced Microscopy Facility, Department of Biological Sciences
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Subject Matter:
Corn stem section
(100x)Technique:
By David McDonald and Thomas Hope, Case Western University and Northwestern University
A dendritic cell (left) presents HIV (green) to primary T cells (rigth) in an infectious synapse. HIV is labeled with GFP-Viral Protein R (vpr). Filamentous actin is stained red with phalloidin, and nuclei are stained blue with Dapi. Deconvolved image was captured on a DeltaVision imaging system (API).
Xenopus laevis oocytes
Stage V-VI Xenopus laevis oocytes surrounded by thousands of follicle cells, as visualized by Hoechst staining.
Fluorescence microscopy 2009
Stage V-VI Xenopus laevis oocytes surrounded by thousands of follicle cells, as visualized by Hoechst staining.
Fluorescence microscopy 2009
Honorable Mention - Dr. Gloria Romero Ciudad Universitaria - Universidad Nacional de Colombia - Botogá D.C., Colombia
Specimen: Flower (0.5x) Technique: Stereomicroscopy
Specimen: Flower (0.5x) Technique: Stereomicroscopy
By Roger Wagner, University of Delaware
In mammals, sperm is generated in long, thread-like tubes, called seminiferous tubules (beige). Each tube is lined with an epithelium that contains spermatogonia cells (blue). Over the course of ~64 days, these cells differentiate into mature sperm cells (yellow). The spermatogonia cells divide by mitosis to produce diploid spermatocytes (lavender), which then undergo meiosis to generate two haploid spermatids. Spermatids develop further through “spermatogenesis” into the elongated spermatozoa (yellow).
Leuk-alike
Delivering drugs right to the heart of cancerous tumours is a challenging task. They must reach their dangerous target – which may be deep within tissues – without alerting immune cells that police the body for foreign invaders. Scientists are now tackling this predicament by camouflaging drugs innanoparticles coated with membranes from leukocytes [white blood cells]. Unlike naked nanoparticles, these tiny disguised pouches raise no suspicion. And what’s more they behave like white blood cells, using their borrowed membranes en route to wriggle through barriers, such as blood vessels, as they home in on their target. Such coated particles, known as ‘leukolike vectors’ bring the prospect of more effective treatment for previously inaccessible cancers.
Written by Georgina Askeland
By Kairbaan Hodivala-Dilke and M. Stone, University of London
A major barrier to converting cancer therapies into cures is drug resistance. Cancer cells often develop resistance to even the most effective therapies. For instance, anti-VEGF therapies dramatically reduce tumor size initially, but some studies find that this response is only transient and tumors resume growth and progression after long-term treatment. Basic cell biology is critically needed to characterize these resistance pathways and uncover tools for monitoring the emergence of resistance pathways.
by eye of science/Nicole Ottawa and Oliver Meckes
A macrophage (pale brown) interacts with Borrelia cells (blue), the spirochete bacteria that cause Lyme disease. Although the outer membrane of Borreliacontains a strong antigen, the OspC protein, the bacterium successfully evades the human immune system by hiding out in places less accessible to immune cells, such as the central nervous system.
smile .. it’s biology :) Patrick Taulman Birmingham, Alabama, USA
Subject Matter:
Mouse epididymis
(150x)Technique:
By Arun Sampathkumar and Elliot Meyerowitz, Sainsbury Laboratory, University of Cambridge
Unlike animal cells, plant cells are encapsulated by stiff cell walls that lie outside their plasma membranes. These walls provide structural support and help maintain cell shape, among other functions, but their presence also means that cell division operates very differently from animal cells. Indeed, plant growth depends on the regulated deposition of cell wall constituents, such as cellulose microfibrils. The cortical microtubule cytoskeleton influences the orientation of these cellulose microfibrils to generate complex cell shapes, such as the puzzle piece shape of pavement cells in the Arabidopsis thaliana leaf epidermis.
Image: A depth color-coded set of aligned confocal Z-sections of microtubule arrays (mCherry:TUA5) in Arabidopsis leaf epidermal pavement cells, which exhibit complex polarity.
Wim van Egmond Micropolitan Museum
Rotterdam, The Netherlands
Rotterdam, The Netherlands
Subject Matter:
Nassula ornata, conjugating ciliates
(160x)Technique:
it’s not a graffiti „ look again . Dr. Christian Bohley Martin-Luther-University Halle (Saale)
Magdeburg, Germany
Magdeburg, Germany
Subject Matter:
Degenerating blue phase II crystals
(100x)Technique:
In Reflection Between Crossed Polarizers
MRSA), a drug-resistant form of the normally harmless S. aureusbacterium, kills 18,000 people in the United States every year and sickens 76,000 more. The majority of cases are linked to a hospital stay, where the combination of other sick people and surgical procedures puts patients at risk. But transmission also can happen in schools, jails, and locker rooms (and an estimated 1.5% of Americans carry MRSA in their noses). All of this has led to a growing concern about antibiotic use in agriculture, which may be creating a reservoir of drug-resistant organisms in billions of food animals around the world.
By Dean J. Procter (The University of Sydney), Bianca Dobson (The Australian National University), David Tscharke (The Australian National University), and Timothy P. Newsome (The University of Sydney)
Loes Modderman Science Art
Nijmegen, The Netherlands
Nijmegen, The Netherlands
Subject Matter:
Crystallized caustic soda (cleaning agent), Glauber’s salt (multi-purpose chemical), and D76 (a photochemical)
(40x)Technique:
Daphne Zbaeren-Colbourn Bern, Switzerland
Subject Matter:
Snowflake resin impression preparation
(20x)Technique:
Jakob Zbaeren Bern, Switzerland
Subject Matter:
Fibrin clot on HUVEC cell culture (fibrin stained in green, cytoskeleton in orange and nuclei blue)
(1000x)Technique:
By Tessa Quax and David Prangishvili, Institut Pasteur
The archaeal virus SIRV2 employs an unusual means of escaping from its host. A 7-faced pyramidal structure is formed on the host cell surface from virus-encoded 10kDa protein and opens like the petals on a flower (shown on the image) to release mature virus particles.
Image: Colored negative contrast electron micrograph of an isolated 7-faced pyramidal structure encoded by the virus SIRV2 in open conformation.
Brain Transplant
Brain transplants may seem like science fiction but for Huntington’s diseasepatients the concept brings hope. This progressive disorder is caused by the loss of neurons [brain cells] that die in response to the build up of a toxic mutant protein. If scientists could replace the lost cells with those containing a normal protein is it possible they could lessen the symptoms? Such an innovative technique is risky so must be tested in a model system to show that the treatment works and is safe. The picture shows such a model: human stem cells – with the capability to become any cell – were cultivated into neurons and then transplanted (stained green) into the region of a rat’s brain (shown in red) worst affected by a form of Huntington’s. The research is still at an early stage but has potential as a treatment for more common brain disorders such asdementia.
Written by Julie Webb
- Charles Arber
- MRC Clinical Sciences Centre
By Anne Weston, Cancer Research UK
Lamellipodia are not the only way for cells to get about— plasma membrane blebs can also drive cell migration. Once thought to be restricted to dying cells, these spherical membrane protrusions are now thought to be particularly important in tumor cells, which have been shown to switch between the lamellipodia- and bleb-based motility.
Image: Cells from culture were imaged with a JEOL 6700 Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope, and then false colored with Adobe Photoshop.
25 January 2013 Time to Grow?
It’s a tricky balancing act. Cells must multiply so that children can grow and adults can heal, but cells which keep on growing and dividing when not required can turn into cancer. Working out how cells know when to grow, and when to stop is key to understanding and preventing cancer. These pancreatic cells have been genetically engineered and chemically treated to knock out an enzyme (called Lbk1) that suppresses tumour formation. Without the enzyme the tissue enlarges to form a cyst and then collapses in on itself like a deflated soufflé. The cells lining the cyst are fluorescently labelled to show the surface proteins (red), cell-to-cell binding proteins (yellow) and nuclei (blue). These lab-created cysts are very similar to naturally occurring pre-cancerous cysts, and are helping researchers understand what the malignant trigger might be.
Written by Sarah McLusky
Dr. Michael Shribak and Irina Arkhipova
Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, Massachusetts, USA
Specimen: Bdelloid rotifers (microscopic freshwater invertebrates) (20x)Technique: Polarized Light
Dr. Michael Bridge
University of Utah School HSC Core Facilities - Cell Imaging Lab,
Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
Specimen: Eye organ of a Drosophila melanogaster (third-instar larvae) (60x)Technique: ConfocalSalt Lake City, Utah, USA
Mr. Marek Mis
Marek Mis Photography - Suwalki, Poland
Specimen: Cosmarium (desmid species) near the sphagnum leaf (100x)Technique: Polarized light with retarders
Credit: Annie Cavanagh / Wellcome Images
Overall Winner - Intracranial recording for epilepsy
This photograph shows the surface (cortex) of a human brain belonging to an epileptic patient, displaying the arteries and veins that supply its nutrients and oxygen. This photograph was taken before an intracranial electrode recording procedure, in which a flexible electrode grid is attached to the surface of the brain. The patient is then taken to the telemetry ward, where they are observed and recorded for a period of up to two weeks. Post-observation, the surgeon reviews the recordings and evaluates the data using the unique numbers on the grid implant to identify the specific areas of the brain that need to be removed during the next operation. This patient made a full recovery and no longer suffers from epileptic fits. Credit: Robert Ludlow, UCL Institute of Neurology, London / Wellcome Images
Life in HD
High definition televisions make everything look sharp and crisp – individual blades of grass sway on football fields, the occasional hair might be spotted on a celebrity’s chin. So just imagine what our insides might look like in HD. Here, a technique called Structured Illumination Microscopy was used to sharpen-up the textures of a single human cell. Hundreds of low-resolution images were taken from slightly different angles, then reconstructed into a high-resolution image to reveal tiny hidden structures. Rather than appearing as a blur, we can see individual ‘bones’ in the cytoplasm’s skeleton. Each microtubule, highlighted here in green, is 50,000 times smaller than a human rib and works to protect the cell’s precious energy factories, the mitochondria, highlighted in pink. One can only wonder about the future - what other hidden details might be revealed by pulling the world inside us into focus?
Written by John Ankers
Do you need to be told about chaos, or is your desk a permanent example? As everyone knows, beneath what those intolerably neat and tidy people consider to be chaos, there is a form of order. The chaotic housekeeper can always find the item of their desire - as long as no-one tidies up!
Many systems which scientists have considered totally random, unpredictable and without form have now been found to be otherwise. There is form and pattern hidden within the CHAOS . It is a part of the natural form - a definitive ingredient of Nature itself.
The Oxford Concise Dictionary defines chaos as “Formless primordial matter; utter confusion.” The day has come when there is a need for an update -Chaos Theory is changing the way scientists look at the weather, the way mathematicians plot equations and the way artists define Art.Population dynamics is one area which can be very sensitive to small changes in initial conditions. So can the weather. A butterfly flapping its wings in a South American jungle, it is said, can lead to a hurricane in China. This is the signature of Chaos Theory!
A fractal is an object or quantity that displays self-similarity, in a somewhat technical sense, on all scales. The object need not exhibit exactly the same structure at all scales, but the same “type” of structures must appear on all scales. A plot of the quantity on a log-log graph versus scale then gives a straight line, whose slope is said to be the fractal dimension. The prototypical example for a fractal is the length of a coastline measured with different lengthrulers. The shorter the ruler, the longer the length measured, a paradox known as the coastline paradox.
Jens Rüchel
Department of Zoology - University of Osnabrück - Osnabrück, Germany
Specimen: Spirorbis sp. (aquatic worm) (10x) Technique: Confocal
Second picture from biology today!Posted both of them on deviantart, titled “Beautiful science”.
City lights and neurons show striking similarities to in these side-by-side comparisons by Infinity Imagined. The city light photos were taken aboard the International Space Station, while the neuron images were created with fluorescence microscopy.
Specimen: Intestinal mucosa of a 7.5 day old chick embryo (60x) Technique:Confocal
Specimen: Seed of a Strelitzia reginae (10x) Technique: Darkfield Illumination
Specimen: Pupil of a Macrobrachium amazonicum (freshwater prawn) (20x)Technique: Stereomicroscopy
Specimen: Garlic Technique: Fluorescence
Ashburn, Virginia, USA
Specimen: Moth proboscis. Median (inner) side of an unassuming, tiny gray moth’s proboscis, covered in mechano- and chemo-sensory hairs.
Technique: Confocal microscopy with image stitching
Cold fusion is a hypothetical type of nuclear reaction that would occur at, or near, room temperature, compared with temperatures in the millions of degrees that is required for “hot” fusion. It was proposed to explain reports of anomalously high energy generation under certain specific laboratory conditions. It has been rejected by the mainstream scientific community because the original experimental results could not be replicated consistently and reliably, and because there is no accepted theoretical m
Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, UK
Specimen: Desmid Micrasterias ovata showing chlorophyll autofluoresence (red) and cell wall.
Technique: Confocal microscopy
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