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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.
Bacterial nanowire model
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A model of a Geobacter sulfurreducens nanowire created from cryo-electron microscopy images. Edward Egelman, University of Virginia. 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
Morphine Structure
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The chemical structure of the morphine molecule Judy Coyle, Donald Danforth Plant Science Center View Media
Bone cancer cell
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This image shows an osteosarcoma cell with DNA in blue, energy factories (mitochondria) in yellow, and actin filaments—part of the cellular skeleton—in purple. Dylan Burnette and Jennifer Lippincott-Schwartz, NICHD View Media
Color-coded chromosomes
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By mixing fluorescent dyes like an artist mixes paints, scientists are able to color code individual chromosomes. Anna Jauch, Institute of Human Genetics, Heidelberg, Germany View Media
Yeast cells with endocytic actin patches
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Yeast cells with endocytic actin patches (green). These patches help cells take in outside material. When a cell is in interphase, patches concentrate at its ends. Alaina Willet, Kathy Gould’s lab, Vanderbilt University. View Media
Dopamine D3 receptor
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The receptor is shown bound to an antagonist, eticlopride Raymond Stevens, The Scripps Research Institute View Media
Fruit fly sperm cells
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Developing fruit fly spermatids require caspase activity (green) for the elimination of unwanted organelles and cytoplasm via apoptosis. Hermann Steller, Rockefeller University View Media
Lily mitosis 03
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A light microscope image of a cell from the endosperm of an African globe lily (Scadoxus katherinae). This is one frame of a time-lapse sequence that shows cell division in action. Andrew S. Bajer, University of Oregon, Eugene View Media
Zebrafish pigment cell
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Pigment cells are cells that give skin its color. David Parichy, University of Washington View Media
Bacillus anthracis being killed
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Bacillus anthracis (anthrax) cells being killed by a fluorescent trans-translation inhibitor, which disrupts bacterial protein synthesis. John Alumasa, Keiler Laboratory, Pennsylvania State University View Media
A dynamic model of the DNA helicase protein complex
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This short video shows a model of the DNA helicase in yeast. This DNA helicase has 11 proteins that work together to unwind DNA during the process of copying it, called DNA replication. Huilin Li, Stony Brook University View Media
Sea urchin embryo 03
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Stereo triplet of a sea urchin embryo stained to reveal actin filaments (orange) and microtubules (blue). George von Dassow, University of Washington View Media
Average teen circadian cycle
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Circadian rhythms are physical, mental, and behavioral changes that follow a 24-hour cycle. Typical circadian rhythms lead to high energy during the middle of the day (10 a.m. NIGMS View Media
Genetically identical mycobacteria respond differently to antibiotic 1
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Antibiotic resistance in microbes is a serious health concern. So researchers have turned their attention to how bacteria undo the action of some antibiotics. Bree Aldridge, Tufts University View Media
How cilia do the wave
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Thin, hair-like biological structures called cilia are tiny but mighty. Zvonimir Dogic, Brandeis University View Media
Zinc levels in a plant leaf
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Zinc is required for the function of more than 300 enzymes, including those that help regulate gene expression, in various organisms including humans. Suzana Car, Dartmouth College View Media
Cell-like compartments from frog eggs 3
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Cell-like compartments that spontaneously emerged from scrambled frog eggs. Endoplasmic reticulum (red) and microtubules (green) are visible. Image created using epifluorescence microscopy. Xianrui Cheng, Stanford University School of Medicine. View Media
Chromosome fiber 01
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This microscopic image shows a chromatin fiber--a DNA molecule bound to naturally occurring proteins. Marc Green and Susan Forsburg, University of Southern California View Media
Simulation of leg muscles moving
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When we walk, muscles and nerves interact in intricate ways. This simulation, which is based on data from a six-foot-tall man, shows these interactions. Chand John and Eran Guendelman, Stanford University View Media
CRISPR Illustration Frame 3
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This illustration shows, in simplified terms, how the CRISPR-Cas9 system can be used as a gene-editing tool. National Institute of General Medical Sciences. View Media
Sea urchin embryo 06
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Stereo triplet of a sea urchin embryo stained to reveal actin filaments (orange) and microtubules (blue). George von Dassow, University of Washington View Media
Plant resistosome
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The research organism Arabidopsis thaliana forms a large molecular machine called a resistosome to fight off infections. Amy Wu and Christine Zardecki, RCSB Protein Data Bank. View Media
Pathways – Bacteria vs. Viruses: What's the Difference?
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Learn about how bacteria and viruses differ, how they each can make you sick, and how they can or cannot be treated. National Institute of General Medical Sciences View Media
Dynamin structure
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When a molecule arrives at a cell's outer membrane, the membrane creates a pouch around the molecule that protrudes inward. Josh Chappie, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, NIH View Media
Beta2-adrenergic receptor protein
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Crystal structure of the beta2-adrenergic receptor protein. The Stevens Laboratory, The Scripps Research Institute View Media
Mosaicism in C. elegans (Black Background)
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In the worm C. elegans, double-stranded RNA made in neurons can silence matching genes in a variety of cell types through the transport of RNA between cells. Snusha Ravikumar, Ph.D., University of Maryland, College Park, and Antony M. Jose, Ph.D., University of Maryland, College Park View Media
Optic nerve astrocytes
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Astrocytes in the cross section of a human optic nerve head Tom Deerinck and Keunyoung (“Christine”) Kim, NCMIR 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
Tracking cells in a gastrulating zebrafish embryo
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During development, a zebrafish embryo is transformed from a ball of cells into a recognizable body plan by sweeping convergence and extension cell movements. This process is called gastrulation. Liliana Solnica-Krezel, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. View Media
Dose response curves
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Dose-response curves determine how much of a drug (X-axis) causes a particular effect, or a side effect, in the body (Y-axis). Featured in Medicines By Design. Crabtree + Company View Media
TEM cross-section of C. elegans (roundworm)
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The worm Caenorhabditis elegans is a popular laboratory animal because its small size and fairly simple body make it easy to study. Piali Sengupta, Brandeis University View Media
Quorum-sensing inhibitor limits bacterial growth
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To simulate the consequences of disrupting bacterial cell-to-cell communication, called quorum sensing, in the crypts (small chambers within the colon), the researchers experimented with an inhibitor Minyoung Kevin Kim and Bonnie Bassler, Princeton University View Media
Cisternae maturation model
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Animation for the cisternae maturation model of Golgi transport. Judith Stoffer View Media
NCMIR Kidney Glomeruli
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Stained glomeruli in the kidney. The kidney is an essential organ responsible for disposing wastes from the body and for maintaining healthy ion levels in the blood. Tom Deerinck, National Center for Microscopy and Imaging Research (NCMIR) View Media
Human skeletal muscle
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Cross section of human skeletal muscle. Image taken with a confocal fluorescent light microscope. Tom Deerinck, National Center for Microscopy and Imaging Research (NCMIR) View Media
A chromosome goes missing in anaphase
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Anaphase is the critical step during mitosis when sister chromosomes are disjoined and directed to opposite spindle poles, ensuring equal distribution of the genome during cell division. View Media
Transcription factor Sox17 controls embryonic development of certain internal organs
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During embryonic development, transcription factors (proteins that regulate gene expression) govern the differentiation of cells into separate tissues and organs. James M. Wells, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center View Media
X-ray co-crystal structure of Src kinase bound to a DNA-templated macrocycle inhibitor 7
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X-ray co-crystal structure of Src kinase bound to a DNA-templated macrocycle inhibitor. Markus A. Seeliger, Stony Brook University Medical School and David R. Liu, Harvard University View Media
Dividing cells showing chromosomes and cell skeleton
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This pig cell is in the process of dividing. The chromosomes (purple) have already replicated and the duplicates are being pulled apart by fibers of the cell skeleton known as microtubules (green). Nasser Rusan, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health View Media
Microsporidia in roundworm 2
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Many disease-causing microbes manipulate their host’s metabolism and cells for their own ends. Keir Balla and Emily Troemel, University of California San Diego View Media
Pathways: What's the Connection? | Different Jobs in a Science Lab
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Learn about some of the different jobs in a scientific laboratory and how researchers work as a team to make discoveries. National Institute of General Medical Sciences View Media
GFP sperm
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Fruit fly sperm cells glow bright green when they express the gene for green fluorescent protein (GFP). View Media
Nucleotides make up DNA (with labels)
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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
Glycoproteins
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About half of all human proteins include chains of sugar molecules that are critical for the proteins to function properly. Appears in the NIGMS booklet Inside the Cell. Judith Stoffer View Media
Fruit fly nurse cells transporting their contents during egg development
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In many animals, the egg cell develops alongside sister cells. Adam C. Martin, Massachusetts Institute of Technology. View Media
Bioluminescent imaging in adult zebrafish 04
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Luciferase-based imaging enables visualization and quantification of internal organs and transplanted cells in live adult zebrafish. View Media
RAC1 activation in motile fibroblast
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Novel biosensor system maps the timing and location of Rac protein activation in a living mouse embryo fibroblast. Klaus Hahn, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill Medical School View Media
RSV-Infected Cell
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Viral RNA (red) in an RSV-infected cell. Eric Alonas and Philip Santangelo, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University View Media
