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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.
1276: Folding@Home
1276: Folding@Home
Stanford University scientist Vijay Pande decided to couple the power of computers with the help of the public. He initiated a project called Folding@Home, a so-called distributed computing project in which anyone who wants to can download a screensaver that performs protein-folding calculations when a computer is not in use. Folding@Home is modeled on a similar project called SETI@Home, which is used to search for extraterrestrial intelligence.
Judith Stoffer
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2425: Influenza virus attaches to host membrane
2425: Influenza virus attaches to host membrane
Influenza A infects a host cell when hemagglutinin grips onto glycans on its surface. Neuraminidase, an enzyme that chews sugars, helps newly made virus particles detach so they can infect other cells. Related to 213. Featured in the March 2006, issue of Findings in "Viral Voyages."
Crabtree + Company
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6614: Los ritmos circadianos y el núcleo supraquiasmático
6614: Los ritmos circadianos y el núcleo supraquiasmático
Los ritmos circadianos son cambios físicos, mentales y de comportamiento que siguen un ciclo de 24 horas. Los ritmos circadianos se ven influenciados por la luz y están regulados por el núcleo supraquiasmático del cerebro, a veces denominado el reloj principal.
Vea 6613 para la versión en inglés de esta infografía.
Vea 6613 para la versión en inglés de esta infografía.
NIGMS
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3275: Human embryonic stem cells on feeder cells
3275: Human embryonic stem cells on feeder cells
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. Image and caption information courtesy of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine. See related image 3724.
Julie Baker lab, Stanford University School of Medicine, via CIRM
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2683: GFP sperm
2683: GFP sperm
Fruit fly sperm cells glow bright green when they express the gene for green fluorescent protein (GFP).
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2508: Building blocks and folding of proteins
2508: Building blocks and folding of proteins
Proteins are made of amino acids hooked end-to-end like beads on a necklace. To become active, proteins must twist and fold into their final, or "native," conformation. A protein's final shape enables it to accomplish its function. Featured in The Structures of Life.
Crabtree + Company
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6518: Biofilm formed by a pathogen
6518: Biofilm formed by a pathogen
A biofilm is a highly organized community of microorganisms that develops naturally on certain surfaces. These communities are common in natural environments and generally do not pose any danger to humans. Many microbes in biofilms have a positive impact on the planet and our societies. Biofilms can be helpful in treatment of wastewater, for example. This dime-sized biofilm, however, was formed by the opportunistic pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Under some conditions, this bacterium can infect wounds that are caused by severe burns. The bacterial cells release a variety of materials to form an extracellular matrix, which is stained red in this photograph. The matrix holds the biofilm together and protects the bacteria from antibiotics and the immune system.
Scott Chimileski, Ph.D., and Roberto Kolter, Ph.D., Harvard Medical School.
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5764: Host infection stimulates antibiotic resistance
5764: Host infection stimulates antibiotic resistance
This illustration shows pathogenic bacteria behave like a Trojan horse: switching from antibiotic susceptibility to resistance during infection. Salmonella are vulnerable to antibiotics while circulating in the blood (depicted by fire on red blood cell) but are highly resistant when residing within host macrophages. This leads to treatment failure with the emergence of drug-resistant bacteria.
This image was chosen as a winner of the 2016 NIH-funded research image call, and the research was funded in part by NIGMS.
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This image was chosen as a winner of the 2016 NIH-funded research image call, and the research was funded in part by NIGMS.
2744: Dynamin structure
2744: Dynamin structure
When a molecule arrives at a cell's outer membrane, the membrane creates a pouch around the molecule that protrudes inward. Directed by a protein called dynamin, the pouch then gets pinched off to form a vesicle that carries the molecule to the right place inside the cell. To better understand how dynamin performs its vital pouch-pinching role, researchers determined its structure. Based on the structure, they proposed that a dynamin "collar" at the pouch's base twists ever tighter until the vesicle pops free. Because cells absorb many drugs through vesicles, the discovery could lead to new drug delivery methods.
Josh Chappie, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, NIH
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2521: Enzymes convert subtrates into products
2521: Enzymes convert subtrates into products
Enzymes convert substrates into products very quickly. See image 2522 for a labeled version of this illustration. Featured in The Chemistry of Health.
Crabtree + Company
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2667: Glowing fish
2667: Glowing fish
Professor Marc Zimmer's family pets, including these fish, glow in the dark in response to blue light. Featured in the September 2009 issue of Findings.
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1058: Lily mitosis 01
1058: Lily mitosis 01
A light microscope image shows the chromosomes, stained dark blue, in a dividing cell of an African globe lily (Scadoxus katherinae). This is one frame of a time-lapse sequence that shows cell division in action. The lily is considered a good organism for studying cell division because its chromosomes are much thicker and easier to see than human ones.
Andrew S. Bajer, University of Oregon, Eugene
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3361: A2A adenosine receptor
3361: A2A adenosine receptor
The receptor is shown bound to an inverse agonist, ZM241385.
Raymond Stevens, The Scripps Research Institute
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2534: Kinases
2534: Kinases
Kinases are enzymes that add phosphate groups (red-yellow structures) to proteins (green), assigning the proteins a code. In this reaction, an intermediate molecule called ATP (adenosine triphosphate) donates a phosphate group from itself, becoming ADP (adenosine diphosphate). See image 2535 for a labeled version of this illustration. Featured in Medicines By Design.
Crabtree + Company
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1056: Skin cross-section
1056: Skin cross-section
Cross-section of skin anatomy shows layers and different tissue types.
National Institutes of Health Medical Arts
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6770: Group of Culex quinquefasciatus mosquito larvae
6770: Group of Culex quinquefasciatus mosquito larvae
Mosquito larvae with genes edited by CRISPR. This species of mosquito, Culex quinquefasciatus, can transmit West Nile virus, Japanese encephalitis virus, and avian malaria, among other diseases. The researchers who took this image developed a gene-editing toolkit for Culex quinquefasciatus that could ultimately help stop the mosquitoes from spreading pathogens. The work is described in the Nature Communications paper "Optimized CRISPR tools and site-directed transgenesis towards gene drive development in Culex quinquefasciatus mosquitoes" by Feng et al. Related to image 6769 and video 6771.
Valentino Gantz, University of California, San Diego.
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2418: Genetic imprinting in Arabidopsis
2418: Genetic imprinting in Arabidopsis
This delicate, birdlike projection is an immature seed of the Arabidopsis plant. The part in blue shows the cell that gives rise to the endosperm, the tissue that nourishes the embryo. The cell is expressing only the maternal copy of a gene called MEDEA. This phenomenon, in which the activity of a gene can depend on the parent that contributed it, is called genetic imprinting. In Arabidopsis, the maternal copy of MEDEA makes a protein that keeps the paternal copy silent and reduces the size of the endosperm. In flowering plants and mammals, this sort of genetic imprinting is thought to be a way for the mother to protect herself by limiting the resources she gives to any one embryo. Featured in the May 16, 2006, issue of Biomedical Beat.
Robert Fischer, University of California, Berkeley
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3252: Neural circuits in worms similar to those in humans
3252: Neural circuits in worms similar to those in humans
Green and yellow fluorescence mark the processes and cell bodies of some C. elegans neurons. Researchers have found that the strategies used by this tiny roundworm to control its motions are remarkably similar to those used by the human brain to command movement of our body parts. From a November 2011 University of Michigan news release.
Shawn Xu, University of Michigan
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6748: Human retinal organoid
6748: Human retinal organoid
A replica of a human retina grown from stem cells. It shows rod photoreceptors (nerve cells responsible for dark vision) in green and red/green cones (nerve cells responsible for red and green color vision) in red. The cell nuclei are stained blue. This image was captured using a confocal microscope.
Kevin Eliceiri, University of Wisconsin-Madison.
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2399: Bence Jones protein MLE
2399: Bence Jones protein MLE
A crystal of Bence Jones protein created for X-ray crystallography, which can reveal detailed, three-dimensional protein structures.
Alex McPherson, University of California, Irvine
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2784: Microtubule dynamics in real time
2784: Microtubule dynamics in real time
Cytoplasmic linker protein (CLIP)-170 is a microtubule plus-end-tracking protein that regulates microtubule dynamics and links microtubule ends to different intracellular structures. In this movie, the gene for CLIP-170 has been fused with green fluorescent protein (GFP). When the protein is expressed in cells, the activities can be monitored in real time. Here, you can see CLIP-170 streaming towards the edges of the cell.
Gary Borisy, Marine Biology Laboratory
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6803: Staphylococcus aureus aggregates on microstructured titanium surface
6803: Staphylococcus aureus aggregates on microstructured titanium surface
Groups of Staphylococcus aureus bacteria (blue) attached to a microstructured titanium surface (green) that mimics an orthopedic implant used in joint replacement. The attachment of pre-formed groups of bacteria may lead to infections because the groups can tolerate antibiotics and evade the immune system. This image was captured using a scanning electron microscope.
More information on the research that produced this image can be found in the Antibiotics paper "Free-floating aggregate and single-cell-initiated biofilms of Staphylococcus aureus" by Gupta et al.
Related to image 6804 and video 6805.
More information on the research that produced this image can be found in the Antibiotics paper "Free-floating aggregate and single-cell-initiated biofilms of Staphylococcus aureus" by Gupta et al.
Related to image 6804 and video 6805.
Paul Stoodley, The Ohio State University.
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3539: Structure of heme, top view
3539: Structure of heme, top view
Molecular model of the struture of heme. Heme is a small, flat molecule with an iron ion (dark red) at its center. Heme is an essential component of hemoglobin, the protein in blood that carries oxygen throughout our bodies. This image first appeared in the September 2013 issue of Findings Magazine. View side view of heme here 3540.
Rachel Kramer Green, RCSB Protein Data Bank
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7018: Bacterial cells aggregating above the light organ of the Hawaiian bobtail squid
7018: Bacterial cells aggregating above the light organ of the Hawaiian bobtail squid
A light organ (~0.5 mm across) of a juvenile Hawaiian bobtail squid, Euprymna scolopes. Movement of cilia on the surface of the organ aggregates bacterial symbionts (green) into two areas above sets of pores that lead to interior crypts. This image was taken using a confocal fluorescence microscope.
Related to images 7016, 7017, 7019, and 7020.
Related to images 7016, 7017, 7019, and 7020.
Margaret J. McFall-Ngai, Carnegie Institution for Science/California Institute of Technology, and Edward G. Ruby, California Institute of Technology.
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6591: Cell-like compartments from frog eggs 4
6591: Cell-like compartments from frog eggs 4
Cell-like compartments that spontaneously emerged from scrambled frog eggs, with nuclei (blue) from frog sperm. Endoplasmic reticulum (red) and microtubules (green) are also visible. Image created using confocal microscopy.
For more photos of cell-like compartments from frog eggs view: 6584, 6585, 6586, 6592, and 6593.
For videos of cell-like compartments from frog eggs view: 6587, 6588, 6589, and 6590.
Xianrui Cheng, Stanford University School of Medicine.
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6520: HeLa cell undergoing division into two daughter cells
6520: HeLa cell undergoing division into two daughter cells
Here, a human HeLa cell (a type of immortal cell line used in laboratory experiments) is undergoing cell division. They come from cervical cancer cells that were obtained in 1951 from Henrietta Lacks, a patient at the Johns Hopkins Hospital. The final stage of division, called cytokinesis, occurs after the genomes—shown in yellow—have split into two new daughter cells. The myosin II is a motor protein shown in blue, and the actin filaments, which are types of protein that support cell structure, are shown in red.
Dylan T. Burnette, Ph.D., Vanderbilt University School of Medicine.
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6541: Pathways: What's the Connection? | Different Jobs in a Science Lab
6541: Pathways: What's the Connection? | Different Jobs in a Science Lab
Learn about some of the different jobs in a scientific laboratory and how researchers work as a team to make discoveries. Discover more resources from NIGMS’ Pathways collaboration with Scholastic. View the video on YouTube for closed captioning.
National Institute of General Medical Sciences
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3689: Computer sketch of bird-and-flower DNA origami
3689: Computer sketch of bird-and-flower DNA origami
A computer-generated sketch of a DNA origami folded into a flower-and-bird structure. See also related image 3690.
Hao Yan, Arizona State University
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2372: Wreath-shaped protein from X. campestris
2372: Wreath-shaped protein from X. campestris
Crystal structure of a protein with unknown function from Xanthomonas campestris, a plant pathogen. Eight copies of the protein crystallized to form a ring. Chosen as the December 2007 Protein Structure Initiative Structure of the Month.
Ken Schwinn and Sonia Espejon-Reynes, New York SGX Research Center for Structural Genomics
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1160: Vibrio bacteria
1160: Vibrio bacteria
Vibrio, a type (genus) of rod-shaped bacteria. Some Vibrio species cause cholera in humans.
Tina Weatherby Carvalho, University of Hawaii at Manoa
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2310: Cellular traffic
2310: Cellular traffic
Like tractor-trailers on a highway, small sacs called vesicles transport substances within cells. This image tracks the motion of vesicles in a living cell. The short red and yellow marks offer information on vesicle movement. The lines spanning the image show overall traffic trends. Typically, the sacs flow from the lower right (blue) to the upper left (red) corner of the picture. Such maps help researchers follow different kinds of cellular processes as they unfold.
Alexey Sharonov and Robin Hochstrasser, University of Pennsylvania
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6961: C. elegans showing internal structures
6961: C. elegans showing internal structures
An image of Caenorhabditis elegans, a tiny roundworm, showing internal structures including the intestine, pharynx, and body wall muscle. C. elegans is one of the simplest organisms with a nervous system. Scientists use it to study nervous system development, among other things. This image was captured with a quantitative orientation-independent differential interference contrast (OI-DIC) microscope. The scale bar is 100 µm.
More information about the microscopy that produced this image can be found in the Journal of Microscopy paper by Malamy and Shribak.
More information about the microscopy that produced this image can be found in the Journal of Microscopy paper by Malamy and Shribak.
Michael Shribak, Marine Biological Laboratory/University of Chicago.
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6536: Sepsis Infographic
6536: Sepsis Infographic
Sepsis is the body’s overactive and extreme response to an infection. More than 1.7 million people get sepsis each year in the United States. Without prompt treatment, sepsis can lead to tissue damage, organ failure, and death. Many NIGMS-supported researchers are working to improve sepsis diagnosis and treatment. Learn more with our sepsis featured topic page.
See 6551 for the Spanish version of this infographic.
See 6551 for the Spanish version of this infographic.
National Institute of General Medical Sciences
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3525: Bacillus anthracis being killed
3525: Bacillus anthracis being killed
Bacillus anthracis (anthrax) cells being killed by a fluorescent trans-translation inhibitor, which disrupts bacterial protein synthesis. The inhibitor is naturally fluorescent and looks blue when it is excited by ultraviolet light in the microscope. This is a color version of Image 3481.
Kenneth Keiler, Penn State University
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3434: Flu virus proteins during self-replication
3434: Flu virus proteins during self-replication
Influenza (flu) virus proteins in the act of self-replication. Viral nucleoprotein (blue) encapsidates [encapsulates] the RNA genome (green). The influenza virus polymerase (orange) reads and copies the RNA genome. In the background is an image of influenza virus ribonucleoprotein complexes observed using cryo-electron microscopy. This image is from a November 2012 News Release.
Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, CA
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2693: Fruit fly in the pink
2693: Fruit fly in the pink
Fruit flies are a common model organism for basic medical research.
Crabtree + Company
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2382: PanB from M. tuberculosis (2)
2382: PanB from M. tuberculosis (2)
Model of an enzyme, PanB, from Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the bacterium that causes most cases of tuberculosis. This enzyme is an attractive drug target.
Mycobacterium Tuberculosis Center, PSI-1
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2533: Dose response curves
2533: Dose response curves
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
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2312: Color-coded chromosomes
2312: Color-coded chromosomes
By mixing fluorescent dyes like an artist mixes paints, scientists are able to color code individual chromosomes. The technique, abbreviated multicolor-FISH, allows researchers to visualize genetic abnormalities often linked to disease. In this image, "painted" chromosomes from a person with a hereditary disease called Werner Syndrome show where a piece of one chromosome has fused to another (see the gold-tipped maroon chromosome in the center). As reported by molecular biologist Jan Karlseder of the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, such damage is typical among people with this rare syndrome.
Anna Jauch, Institute of Human Genetics, Heidelberg, Germany
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3527: Bacteria in the mouse colon
3527: Bacteria in the mouse colon
Image of the colon of a mouse mono-colonized with Bacteroides fragilis (red) residing within the crypt channel. The red staining is due to an antibody to B. fragilis, the green staining is a general dye for the mouse cells (phalloidin, which stains F-actin) and the light blue glow is from a dye for visualizing the mouse cell nuclei (DAPI, which stains DNA). Bacteria from the human microbiome have evolved specific molecules to physically associate with host tissue, conferring resilience and stability during life-long colonization of the gut. Image is featured in October 2015 Biomedical Beat blog post Cool Images: A Halloween-Inspired Cell Collection.
Sarkis K. Mazmanian, California Institute of Technology
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6774: Endoplasmic reticulum abnormalities 2
6774: Endoplasmic reticulum abnormalities 2
Human cells with the gene that codes for the protein FIT2 deleted. After an experimental intervention, they are expressing a nonfunctional version of FIT2, shown in green. The lack of functional FIT2 affected the structure of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), and the nonfunctional protein clustered in ER membrane aggregates, seen as large bright-green spots. Lipid droplets are shown in red, and the nucleus is visible in gray. This image was captured using a confocal microscope. Related to image 6773.
Michel Becuwe, Harvard University.
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6850: Himastatin and bacteria
6850: Himastatin and bacteria
A model of the molecule himastatin overlaid on an image of Bacillus subtilis bacteria. Scientists first isolated himastatin from the bacterium Streptomyces himastatinicus, and the molecule shows antibiotic activity. The researchers who created this image developed a new, more concise way to synthesize himastatin so it can be studied more easily. They also tested the effects of himastatin and derivatives of the molecule on B. subtilis.
More information about the research that produced this image can be found in the Science paper “Total synthesis of himastatin” by D’Angelo et al.
Related to image 6848 and video 6851.
More information about the research that produced this image can be found in the Science paper “Total synthesis of himastatin” by D’Angelo et al.
Related to image 6848 and video 6851.
Mohammad Movassaghi, Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
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6769: Culex quinquefasciatus mosquito larva
6769: Culex quinquefasciatus mosquito larva
A mosquito larva with genes edited by CRISPR. The red-orange glow is a fluorescent protein used to track the edits. This species of mosquito, Culex quinquefasciatus, can transmit West Nile virus, Japanese encephalitis virus, and avian malaria, among other diseases. The researchers who took this image developed a gene-editing toolkit for Culex quinquefasciatus that could ultimately help stop the mosquitoes from spreading pathogens. The work is described in the Nature Communications paper "Optimized CRISPR tools and site-directed transgenesis towards gene drive development in Culex quinquefasciatus mosquitoes" by Feng et al. Related to image 6770 and video 6771.
Valentino Gantz, University of California, San Diego.
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3677: Human skeletal muscle
3677: Human skeletal muscle
Cross section of human skeletal muscle. Image taken with a confocal fluorescent light microscope.
Tom Deerinck, National Center for Microscopy and Imaging Research (NCMIR)
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3289: Smooth muscle from mouse stem cells
3289: Smooth muscle from mouse stem cells
These smooth muscle cells were derived from mouse neural crest stem cells. Red indicates smooth muscle proteins, blue indicates nuclei. Image and caption information courtesy of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine.
Deepak Srivastava, Gladstone Institutes, via CIRM
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2757: Draper, shown in the fatbody of a Drosophila melanogaster larva
2757: Draper, shown in the fatbody of a Drosophila melanogaster larva
The fly fatbody is a nutrient storage and mobilization organ akin to the mammalian liver. The engulfment receptor Draper (green) is located at the cell surface of fatbody cells. The cell nuclei are shown in blue.
Christina McPhee and Eric Baehrecke, University of Massachusetts Medical School
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2413: Pig trypsin (2)
2413: Pig trypsin (2)
A crystal of porcine trypsin protein created for X-ray crystallography, which can reveal detailed, three-dimensional protein structures.
Alex McPherson, University of California, Irvine
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6802: Antibiotic-surviving bacteria
6802: Antibiotic-surviving bacteria
Colonies of bacteria growing despite high concentrations of antibiotics. These colonies are visible both by eye, as seen on the left, and by bioluminescence imaging, as seen on the right. The bioluminescent color indicates the metabolic activity of these bacteria, with their red centers indicating high metabolism.
More information about the research that produced this image can be found in the Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy paper “Novel aminoglycoside-tolerant phoenix colony variants of Pseudomonas aeruginosa” by Sindeldecker et al.
More information about the research that produced this image can be found in the Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy paper “Novel aminoglycoside-tolerant phoenix colony variants of Pseudomonas aeruginosa” by Sindeldecker et al.
Paul Stoodley, The Ohio State University.
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2571: VDAC video 02
2571: VDAC video 02
This video shows the structure of the pore-forming protein VDAC-1 from humans. This molecule mediates the flow of products needed for metabolism--in particular the export of ATP--across the outer membrane of mitochondria, the power plants for eukaryotic cells. VDAC-1 is involved in metabolism and the self-destruction of cells--two biological processes central to health.
Related to videos 2570 and 2572.
Related to videos 2570 and 2572.
Gerhard Wagner, Harvard Medical School
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2358: Advanced Photon Source (APS) at Argonne National Lab
2358: Advanced Photon Source (APS) at Argonne National Lab
The intense X-rays produced by synchrotrons such as the Advanced Photon Source are ideally suited for protein structure determination. Using synchrotron X-rays and advanced computers scientists can determine protein structures at a pace unheard of decades ago.
Southeast Collaboratory for Structural Genomics
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