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This is a searchable collection of scientific photos, illustrations, and videos. The images and videos in this gallery are licensed under Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial ShareAlike 3.0. This license lets you remix, tweak, and build upon this work non-commercially, as long as you credit and license your new creations under identical terms.
Abnormal, spiky fibroblast
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This is a fibroblast, a connective tissue cell that plays an important role in wound healing. Normal fibroblasts have smooth edges. Praveen Suraneni, Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, Mo. View Media
Pulsating response to stress in bacteria - video
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By attaching fluorescent proteins to the genetic circuit responsible for B. subtilis's stress response, researchers can observe the cells' pulses as green flashes. Michael Elowitz, Caltech University View Media
Dopaminergic neurons derived from mouse embryonic stem cells
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These neurons are derived from mouse embryonic stem cells. Red shows cells making a protein called TH that is characteristic of the neurons that degenerate in Parkinson's disease. Yaping Sun, lab of Su Guo, University of California, San Francisco, via CIRM View Media
¿Qué es la sepsis? (Sepsis Infographic)
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La sepsis o septicemia es la respuesta fulminante y extrema del cuerpo a una infección. En los Estados Unidos, más de 1.7 millones de personas contraen sepsis cada año. Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Médicas Generales View Media
Network diagram of genes, cellular components and processes (labeled)
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This image shows the hierarchical ontology of genes, cellular components and processes derived from large genomic datasets. From Dutkowski et al. Janusz Dutkowski and Trey Ideker, University of California, San Diego View Media
Z rings in bacterial division
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Lab-made liposomes contract where Z rings have gathered together and the constriction forces are greatest (arrows). Masaki Osawa, Duke University View Media
2-D NMR
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A two-dimensional NMR spectrum of a protein, in this case a 2D 1H-15N HSQC NMR spectrum of a 228 amino acid DNA/RNA-binding protein. Dr. Xiaolian Gao's laboratory at the University of Houston View Media
Mouse brain slice showing nerve cells
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A 20-µm thick section of mouse midbrain. The nerve cells are transparent and weren’t stained. Michael Shribak, Marine Biological Laboratory/University of Chicago. View Media
Chromosomes before crossing over
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Duplicated pair of chromosomes lined up and ready to cross over. Judith Stoffer View Media
Mouse mammary cells lacking anti-cancer protein
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Shortly after a pregnant woman gives birth, her breasts start to secrete milk. This process is triggered by hormonal and genetic cues, including the protein Elf5. Nature Cell Biology, November 2012, Volume 14 No 11 pp1113-1231 View Media
Nucleus and rough ER
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The nucleus contains the DNA of eukaryotic cells. Judith Stoffer View Media
RNA interference
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RNA interference or RNAi is a gene-silencing process in which double-stranded RNAs trigger the destruction of specific RNAs. Crabtree + Company View Media
A molecular interaction network in yeast 1
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The image visualizes a part of the yeast molecular interaction network. Keiichiro Ono, UCSD View Media
Bacterial symbionts colonizing the crypts of a juvenile Hawaiian bobtail squid light organ
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A light organ (~0.5 mm across) of a Hawaiian bobtail squid, Euprymna scolopes, stained blue. Margaret J. McFall-Ngai, Carnegie Institution for Science/California Institute of Technology, and Edward G. Ruby, California Institute of Technology. View Media
Microtubule breakdown
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Like a building supported by a steel frame, a cell contains its own sturdy internal scaffolding made up of proteins, including microtubules. Eva Nogales, University of California, Berkeley View Media
Human ES cells turn into insulin-producing cells
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Human embryonic stem cells were differentiated into cells like those found in the pancreas (blue), which give rise to insulin-producing cells (red). Eugene Brandon, ViaCyte, via CIRM View Media
Capillary protein crystallization robot
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This ACAPELLA robot for capillary protein crystallization grows protein crystals, freezes them, and centers them without manual intervention. Structural Genomics of Pathogenic Protozoa Consortium View Media
A molecular interaction network in yeast 2
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The image visualizes a part of the yeast molecular interaction network. Keiichiro Ono, UCSD View Media
Cells lining the blood vessel walls
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The structure of the endothelium, the thin layer of cells that line our arteries and veins, is visible here. Christopher V. Carman and Roberta Martinelli, Harvard Medical School. View Media
Group of fluorescent C. elegans showing muscle and ribosomal protein
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Three C. elegans, tiny roundworms, with a ribosomal protein glowing red and muscle fibers glowing green. Researchers used these worms to study a molecular pathway that affects aging. Jarod Rollins, Mount Desert Island Biological Laboratory. View Media
Hen egg lysozyme (2)
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A crystal of hen egg lysozyme protein created for X-ray crystallography, which can reveal detailed, three-dimensional protein structures. Alex McPherson, University of California, Irvine View Media
Himastatin and bacteria
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A model of the molecule himastatin overlaid on an image of Bacillus subtilis bacteria. Mohammad Movassaghi, Massachusetts Institute of Technology. View Media
Bacterial cells aggregated above a light-organ pore of the Hawaiian bobtail squid
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The beating of cilia on the outside of the Hawaiian bobtail squid’s light organ concentrates Vibrio fischeri cells (green) present in the seawater into aggregates near the pore-containing tis Margaret J. McFall-Ngai, Carnegie Institution for Science/California Institute of Technology, and Edward G. Ruby, California Institute of Technology. View Media
Cross section of a Drosophila melanogaster pupa lacking Draper
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In the absence of the engulfment receptor Draper, salivary gland cells (light blue) persist in the thorax of a developing Drosophila melanogaster pupa. Christina McPhee and Eric Baehrecke, University of Massachusetts Medical School View Media
Bond types
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Ionic and covalent bonds hold molecules, like sodium chloride and chlorine gas, together. Hydrogen bonds among molecules, notably involving water, also play an important role in biology. Crabtree + Company View Media
Caulobacter
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A study using Caulobacter crescentus showed that some bacteria use just-in-time processing, much like that used in industrial delivery, to make the glue that allows them to attach to surfaces, Yves Brun, Indiana University View Media
Confocal microscopy of perineuronal nets in the brain 1
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The photo shows a confocal microscopy image of perineuronal nets (PNNs), which are specialized extracellular matrix (ECM) structures in the brain. Tom Deerinck, National Center for Microscopy and Imaging Research (NCMIR) View Media
Mitosis - metaphase
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A cell in metaphase during mitosis: The copied chromosomes align in the middle of the spindle. Judith Stoffer View Media
Migrating pigment cells
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Pigment cells are cells that give skin its color. David Parichy, University of Washington View Media
Stress Response in Cells
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Two highly stressed osteosarcoma cells are shown with a set of green droplet-like structures followed by a second set of magenta droplets. Julia F. Riley and Carlos A. Castañeda, Syracuse University View Media
Fly cells
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If a picture is worth a thousand words, what's a movie worth? Denise Montell, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine View Media
Nucleotides make up DNA
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DNA consists of two long, twisted chains made up of nucleotides. Each nucleotide contains one base, one phosphate molecule, and the sugar molecule deoxyribose. Crabtree + Company View Media
Colony of human ES cells
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A colony of human embryonic stem cells (light blue) grows on fibroblasts (dark blue). California Institute for Regenerative Medicine View Media
Q fever bacteria in an infected cell
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This image shows Q fever bacteria (yellow), which infect cows, sheep, and goats around the world and can infect humans, as well. When caught early, Q fever can be cured with antibiotics. Robert Heinzen, Elizabeth Fischer, and Anita Mora, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health View Media
Telomeres
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The 46 human chromosomes are shown in blue, with the telomeres appearing as white pinpoints. Hesed Padilla-Nash and Thomas Ried, the National Cancer Institute, a part of NIH View Media
Tiny strands of tubulin, a protein in a cell's skeleton
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Just as our bodies rely on bones for structural support, our cells rely on a cellular skeleton. Pakorn Kanchanawong, National University of Singapore and National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health; and Clare Waterman, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health View Media
Plastic-eating enzymes
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PETase enzyme degrades polyester plastic (polyethylene terephthalate, or PET) into monohydroxyethyl terephthalate (MHET). Amy Wu and Christine Zardecki, RCSB Protein Data Bank. View Media
Structure of Glutamate Dehydrogenase
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Some children are born with a mutation in a regulatory site on this enzyme that causes them to over-secrete insulin when they consume protein. Judy Coyle, Donald Danforth Plant Science Center View Media
Coronavirus spike protein structure
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Coronaviruses are enveloped viruses responsible for 30 percent of mild respiratory infections and atypical deadly pneumonia in humans worldwide. Melody Campbell, UCSF View Media
Histones in chromatin
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Histone proteins loop together with double-stranded DNA to form a structure that resembles beads on a string. Crabtree + Company View Media
Painted chromosomes
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Like a paint-by-numbers picture, painted probes tint individual human chromosomes by targeting specific DNA sequences. Beth A. Sullivan, Duke University View Media
Thermotoga maritima and its metabolic network
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A combination of protein structures determined experimentally and computationally shows us the complete metabolic network of a heat-loving bacterium. View Media
Golgi
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The Golgi complex, also called the Golgi apparatus or, simply, the Golgi. Judith Stoffer View Media
Single-cell “radios” image
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Individual cells are color-coded based on their identity and signaling activity using a protein circuit technology developed by the Coyle Lab. Scott Coyle, University of Wisconsin-Madison. View Media
Bee venom toxin destroying a cell
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This video condenses 6.5 minutes into less than a minute to show how the toxin in bee venom, called melittin, destroys an animal or bacterial cell. Huey Huang, Rice University View Media
Glow-in-the-dark salamanders
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These six-month-old axolotls, a kind of salamander, glow green and blue under ultraviolet light. That's because they were genetically modified to make harmless green fluorescent protein, or GFP. View Media
Mitochondria from rat heart muscle cell
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These mitochondria (red) are from the heart muscle cell of a rat. Mitochondria have an inner membrane that folds in many places (and that appears here as striations). National Center for Microscopy and Imaging Research View Media
Human embryonic stem cells on feeder cells
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The nuclei stained green highlight human embryonic stem cells grown under controlled conditions in a laboratory. Blue represents the DNA of surrounding, supportive feeder cells. Julie Baker lab, Stanford University School of Medicine, via CIRM View Media
Correlative imaging by annotation with single molecules (CIASM) process
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These images illustrate a technique combining cryo-electron tomography and super-resolution fluorescence microscopy called correlative imaging by annotation with single molecules (CIASM). Peter Dahlberg, Stanford University. View Media
Hydra 05
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Hydra magnipapillata is an invertebrate animal used as a model organism to study developmental questions, for example the formation of the body axis. Hiroshi Shimizu, National Institute of Genetics in Mishima, Japan View Media
