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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.
3771: Molecular model of freshly made Rous sarcoma virus (RSV)
3771: Molecular model of freshly made Rous sarcoma virus (RSV)
Viruses have been the foes of animals and other organisms for time immemorial. For almost as long, they've stayed well hidden from view because they are so tiny (they aren't even cells, so scientists call the individual virus a "particle"). This image shows a molecular model of a particle of the Rous sarcoma virus (RSV), a virus that infects and sometimes causes cancer in chickens. In the background is a photo of red blood cells. The particle shown is "immature" (not yet capable of infecting new cells) because it has just budded from an infected chicken cell and entered the bird's bloodstream. The outer shell of the immature virus is made up of a regular assembly of large proteins (shown in red) that are linked together with short protein molecules called peptides (green). This outer shell covers and protects the proteins (blue) that form the inner shell of the particle. But as you can see, the protective armor of the immature virus contains gaping holes. As the particle matures, the short peptides are removed and the large proteins rearrange, fusing together into a solid sphere capable of infecting new cells. While still immature, the particle is vulnerable to drugs that block its development. Knowing the structure of the immature particle may help scientists develop better medications against RSV and similar viruses in humans. Scientists used sophisticated computational tools to reconstruct the RSV atomic structure by crunching various data on the RSV proteins to simulate the entire structure of immature RSV.
Boon Chong Goh, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
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6800: Magnetic Janus particle activating a T cell
6800: Magnetic Janus particle activating a T cell
A Janus particle being used to activate a T cell, a type of immune cell. A Janus particle is a specialized microparticle with different physical properties on its surface, and this one is coated with nickel on one hemisphere and anti-CD3 antibodies (light blue) on the other. The nickel enables the Janus particle to be moved using a magnet, and the antibodies bind to the T cell and activate it. The T cell in this video was loaded with calcium-sensitive dye to visualize calcium influx, which indicates activation. The intensity of calcium influx was color coded so that warmer color indicates higher intensity. Being able to control Janus particles with simple magnets is a step toward controlling individual cells’ activities without complex magnetic devices.
More details can be found in the Angewandte Chemie paper “Remote control of T cell activation using magnetic Janus particles” by Lee et al. This video was captured using epi-fluorescence microscopy.
Related to video 6801.
More details can be found in the Angewandte Chemie paper “Remote control of T cell activation using magnetic Janus particles” by Lee et al. This video was captured using epi-fluorescence microscopy.
Related to video 6801.
Yan Yu, Indiana University, Bloomington.
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3279: Induced pluripotent stem cells from skin 02
3279: Induced pluripotent stem cells from skin 02
These induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS cells) were derived from a woman's skin. Blue show nuclei. Green show a protein found in iPS cells but not in skin cells (NANOG). The red dots show the inactivated X chromosome in each cell. These cells can develop into a variety of cell types. Image and caption information courtesy of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine. Related to image 3278.
Kathrin Plath lab, University of California, Los Angeles, via CIRM
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1332: Mitosis - telophase
1332: Mitosis - telophase
Telophase during mitosis: Nuclear membranes form around each of the two sets of chromosomes, the chromosomes begin to spread out, and the spindle begins to break down. Mitosis is responsible for growth and development, as well as for replacing injured or worn out cells throughout the body. For simplicity, mitosis is illustrated here with only six chromosomes.
Judith Stoffer
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3481: Bacillus anthracis being killed
3481: 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 black-and-white version of Image 3525.
John Alumasa, Keiler Laboratory, Pennsylvania State University
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1331: Mitosis - prometaphase
1331: Mitosis - prometaphase
A cell in prometaphase during mitosis: The nuclear membrane breaks apart, and the spindle starts to interact with the chromosomes. Mitosis is responsible for growth and development, as well as for replacing injured or worn out cells throughout the body. For simplicity, mitosis is illustrated here with only six chromosomes.
Judith Stoffer
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5875: Bacteriophage P22 capsid, detail
5875: Bacteriophage P22 capsid, detail
Detail of a subunit of the capsid, or outer cover, of bacteriophage P22, a virus that infects the Salmonella bacteria. Cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) was used to capture details of the capsid proteins, each shown here in a separate color. Thousands of cryo-EM scans capture the structure and shape of all the individual proteins in the capsid and their position relative to other proteins. A computer model combines these scans into the image shown here. Related to image 5874.
Dr. Wah Chiu, Baylor College of Medicine
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3631: Dividing cells showing chromosomes and cell skeleton
3631: Dividing cells showing chromosomes and cell skeleton
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). Studies of cell division yield knowledge that is critical to advancing understanding of many human diseases, including cancer and birth defects.
This image was part of the Life: Magnified exhibit that ran from June 3, 2014, to January 21, 2015, at Dulles International Airport.
This image was part of the Life: Magnified exhibit that ran from June 3, 2014, to January 21, 2015, at Dulles International Airport.
Nasser Rusan, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health
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3736: Transmission electron microscopy of myelinated axons with ECM between the axons
3736: Transmission electron microscopy of myelinated axons with ECM between the axons
The extracellular matrix (ECM) is most prevalent in connective tissues but also is present between the stems (axons) of nerve cells, as shown here. Blue-colored nerve cell axons are surrounded by brown-colored, myelin-supplying Schwann cells, which act like insulation around an electrical wire to help speed the transmission of electric nerve impulses down the axon. The ECM is pale pink. The tiny brown spots within it are the collagen fibers that are part of the ECM.
Tom Deerinck, National Center for Microscopy and Imaging Research (NCMIR)
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3603: Salivary gland in the developing fruit fly
3603: Salivary gland in the developing fruit fly
For fruit flies, the salivary gland is used to secrete materials for making the pupal case, the protective enclosure in which a larva transforms into an adult fly. For scientists, this gland provided one of the earliest glimpses into the genetic differences between individuals within a species. Chromosomes in the cells of these salivary glands replicate thousands of times without dividing, becoming so huge that scientists can easily view them under a microscope and see differences in genetic content between individuals.
This image was part of the Life: Magnified exhibit that ran from June 3, 2014, to January 21, 2015, at Dulles International Airport.
This image was part of the Life: Magnified exhibit that ran from June 3, 2014, to January 21, 2015, at Dulles International Airport.
Richard Fehon, University of Chicago
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3280: Motor neuron progenitors derived from human ES cells
3280: Motor neuron progenitors derived from human ES cells
Motor neuron progenitors (green) were derived from human embryonic stem cells. Image and caption information courtesy of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine.
Hans Keirstead lab, University of California, Irvine, via CIRM
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3624: Fibroblasts with nuclei in blue, energy factories in green and the actin cytoskeleton in red
3624: Fibroblasts with nuclei in blue, energy factories in green and the actin cytoskeleton in red
The cells shown here are fibroblasts, one of the most common cells in mammalian connective tissue. These particular cells were taken from a mouse embryo. Scientists used them to test the power of a new microscopy technique that offers vivid views of the inside of a cell. The DNA within the nucleus (blue), mitochondria (green), and actin filaments in the cellular skeleton (red) are clearly visible.
This image was part of the Life: Magnified exhibit that ran from June 3, 2014, to January 21, 2015, at Dulles International Airport.
This image was part of the Life: Magnified exhibit that ran from June 3, 2014, to January 21, 2015, at Dulles International Airport.
Dylan Burnette, NICHD
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3500: Wound healing in process
3500: Wound healing in process
Wound healing requires the action of stem cells. In mice that lack the Sept2/ARTS gene, stem cells involved in wound healing live longer and wounds heal faster and more thoroughly than in normal mice. This confocal microscopy image from a mouse lacking the Sept2/ARTS gene shows a tail wound in the process of healing. See more information in the article in Science.
Related to images 3497 and 3498.
Related to images 3497 and 3498.
Hermann Steller, Rockefeller University
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2802: Biosensors illustration
2802: Biosensors illustration
A rendering of an activity biosensor image overlaid with a cell-centered frame of reference used for image analysis of signal transduction. This is an example of NIH-supported research on single-cell analysis. Related to 2798 , 2799, 2800, 2801 and 2803.
Gaudenz Danuser, Harvard Medical School
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2431: Fruit fly embryo
2431: Fruit fly embryo
Cells in an early-stage fruit fly embryo, showing the DIAP1 protein (pink), an inhibitor of apoptosis.
Hermann Steller, Rockefeller University
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5759: TEM cross-section of C. elegans (roundworm)
5759: TEM cross-section of C. elegans (roundworm)
The worm Caenorhabditis elegans is a popular laboratory animal because its small size and fairly simple body make it easy to study. Scientists use this small worm to answer many research questions in developmental biology, neurobiology, and genetics. This image, which was taken with transmission electron microscopy (TEM), shows a cross-section through C. elegans, revealing various internal structures.
The image is from a figure in an article published in the journal eLife. There is an annotated version of this graphic at 5760.
The image is from a figure in an article published in the journal eLife. There is an annotated version of this graphic at 5760.
Piali Sengupta, Brandeis University
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3329: Spreading Cells- 02
3329: Spreading Cells- 02
Cells move forward with lamellipodia and filopodia supported by networks and bundles of actin filaments. Proper, controlled cell movement is a complex process. Recent research has shown that an actin-polymerizing factor called the Arp2/3 complex is the key component of the actin polymerization engine that drives amoeboid cell motility. ARPC3, a component of the Arp2/3 complex, plays a critical role in actin nucleation. In this photo, the ARPC3-/- fibroblast cells were fixed and stained with Alexa 546 phalloidin for F-actin (red), Arp2 (green), and DAPI to visualize the nucleus (blue). Arp2, a subunit of the Arp2/3 complex, is absent in the filopodi-like structures based leading edge of ARPC3-/- fibroblasts cells. Related to images 3328, 3330, 3331, 3332, and 3333.
Rong Li and Praveen Suraneni, Stowers Institute for Medical Research
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5793: Mouse retina
5793: Mouse retina
What looks like the gossamer wings of a butterfly is actually the retina of a mouse, delicately snipped to lay flat and sparkling with fluorescent molecules. The image is from a research project investigating the promise of gene therapy for glaucoma. It was created at an NIGMS-funded advanced microscopy facility that develops technology for imaging across many scales, from whole organisms to cells to individual molecules.
The ability to obtain high-resolution imaging of tissue as large as whole mouse retinas was made possible by a technique called large-scale mosaic confocal microscopy, which was pioneered by the NIGMS-funded National Center for Microscopy and Imaging Research. The technique is similar to Google Earth in that it computationally stitches together many small, high-resolution images.
The ability to obtain high-resolution imaging of tissue as large as whole mouse retinas was made possible by a technique called large-scale mosaic confocal microscopy, which was pioneered by the NIGMS-funded National Center for Microscopy and Imaging Research. The technique is similar to Google Earth in that it computationally stitches together many small, high-resolution images.
Tom Deerinck and Keunyoung (“Christine”) Kim, NCMIR
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6571: Actin filaments bundled around the dynamin helical polymer
6571: Actin filaments bundled around the dynamin helical polymer
Multiple actin filaments (magenta) are organized around a dynamin helical polymer (rainbow colored) in this model derived from cryo-electron tomography. By bundling actin, dynamin increases the strength of a cell’s skeleton and plays a role in cell-cell fusion, a process involved in conception, development, and regeneration.
Elizabeth Chen, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center.
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2441: Hydra 05
2441: Hydra 05
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
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3782: A multicolored fish scale 1
3782: A multicolored fish scale 1
Each of the colored specs in this image is a cell on the surface of a fish scale. To better understand how wounds heal, scientists have inserted genes that make cells brightly glow in different colors into the skin cells of zebrafish, a fish often used in laboratory research. The colors enable the researchers to track each individual cell, for example, as it moves to the location of a cut or scrape over the course of several days. These technicolor fish endowed with glowing skin cells dubbed "skinbow" provide important insight into how tissues recover and regenerate after an injury.
For more information on skinbow fish, see the Biomedical Beat blog post Visualizing Skin Regeneration in Real Time and a press release from Duke University highlighting this research. Related to image 3783.
For more information on skinbow fish, see the Biomedical Beat blog post Visualizing Skin Regeneration in Real Time and a press release from Duke University highlighting this research. Related to image 3783.
Chen-Hui Chen and Kenneth Poss, Duke University
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3392: NCMIR Kidney Glomeruli
3392: NCMIR Kidney Glomeruli
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. It works like a purifier by pulling break-down products of metabolism, such as urea and ammonium, from the bloodstream for excretion in urine. The glomerulus is a structure that helps filter the waste compounds from the blood. It consists of a network of capillaries enclosed within a Bowman's capsule of a nephron, which is the structure in which ions exit or re-enter the blood in the kidney.
Tom Deerinck, National Center for Microscopy and Imaging Research (NCMIR)
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1091: Nerve and glial cells in fruit fly embryo
1091: Nerve and glial cells in fruit fly embryo
Glial cells (stained green) in a fruit fly developing embryo have survived thanks to a signaling pathway initiated by neighboring nerve cells (stained red).
Hermann Steller, Rockefeller University
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7023: Dynein moving along microtubules
7023: Dynein moving along microtubules
Dynein (green) is a motor protein that “walks” along microtubules (red, part of the cytoskeleton) and carries its cargo along with it. This video was captured through fluorescence microscopy.
Morgan DeSantis, University of Michigan.
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6569: Cryo-electron tomography of a Caulobacter bacterium
6569: Cryo-electron tomography of a Caulobacter bacterium
3D image of Caulobacter bacterium with various components highlighted: cell membranes (red and blue), protein shell (green), protein factories known as ribosomes (yellow), and storage granules (orange).
Peter Dahlberg, Stanford University.
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6986: Breast cancer cells change migration phenotypes
6986: Breast cancer cells change migration phenotypes
Cancer cells can change their migration phenotype, which includes their shape and the way that they move to invade different tissues. This movie shows breast cancer cells forming a tumor spheroid—a 3D ball of cancer cells—and invading the surrounding tissue. Images were taken using a laser scanning confocal microscope, and artificial intelligence (AI) models were used to segment and classify the images by migration phenotype. On the right side of the video, each phenotype is represented by a different color, as recognized by the AI program based on identifiable characteristics of those phenotypes. The movie demonstrates how cancer cells can use different migration modes during growth and metastasis—the spreading of cancer cells within the body.
Bo Sun, Oregon State University.
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3547: Master clock of the mouse brain
3547: Master clock of the mouse brain
An image of the area of the mouse brain that serves as the 'master clock,' which houses the brain's time-keeping neurons. The nuclei of the clock cells are shown in blue. A small molecule called VIP, shown in green, enables neurons in the central clock in the mammalian brain to synchronize.
Erik Herzog, Washington University in St. Louis
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1013: Lily mitosis 03
1013: Lily mitosis 03
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. The lily is considered a good organism for studying cell division because its chromosomes are much thicker and easier to see than human ones. Staining shows microtubules in red and chromosomes in blue.
Related to images 1010, 1011, 1012, 1014, 1015, 1016, 1017, 1018, 1019, and 1021.
Related to images 1010, 1011, 1012, 1014, 1015, 1016, 1017, 1018, 1019, and 1021.
Andrew S. Bajer, University of Oregon, Eugene
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1274: Animal cell
1274: Animal cell
A typical animal cell, sliced open to reveal a cross-section of organelles.
Judith Stoffer
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2725: Supernova bacteria
2725: Supernova bacteria
Bacteria engineered to act as genetic clocks flash in synchrony. Here, a "supernova" burst in a colony of coupled genetic clocks just after reaching critical cell density. Superimposed: A diagram from the notebook of Christiaan Huygens, who first characterized synchronized oscillators in the 17th century.
Jeff Hasty, UCSD
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5877: Misfolded proteins in mitochondria, 3-D video
5877: Misfolded proteins in mitochondria, 3-D video
Three-dimensional image of misfolded proteins (green) within mitochondria (red). Related to image 5878. Learn more in this press release by The American Association for the Advancement of Science.
Rong Li, Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Whiting School of Engineering, Johns Hopkins University
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2524: Plasma membrane (with labels)
2524: Plasma membrane (with labels)
The plasma membrane is a cell's protective barrier. See image 2523 for an unlabeled version of this illustration. Featured in The Chemistry of Health.
Crabtree + Company
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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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3765: Trypanosoma brucei, the cause of sleeping sickness
3765: Trypanosoma brucei, the cause of sleeping sickness
Trypanosoma brucei is a single-cell parasite that causes sleeping sickness in humans. Scientists have been studying trypanosomes for some time because of their negative effects on human and also animal health, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. Moreover, because these organisms evolved on a separate path from those of animals and plants more than a billion years ago, researchers study trypanosomes to find out what traits they may harbor that are common to or different from those of other eukaryotes (i.e., those organisms having a nucleus and mitochondria). This image shows the T. brucei cell membrane in red, the DNA in the nucleus and kinetoplast (a structure unique to protozoans, including trypanosomes, which contains mitochondrial DNA) in blue and nuclear pore complexes (which allow molecules to pass into or out of the nucleus) in green. Scientists have found that the trypanosome nuclear pore complex has a unique mechanism by which it attaches to the nuclear envelope. In addition, the trypanosome nuclear pore complex differs from those of other eukaryotes because its components have a near-complete symmetry, and it lacks almost all of the proteins that in other eukaryotes studied so far are required to assemble the pore.
Michael Rout, Rockefeller University
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