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Image and Video Gallery

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.

6887: Chromatin in human fibroblast

The nucleus of a human fibroblast cell with chromatin—a substance made up of DNA and proteins—shown in various colors. Fibroblasts are one of the most common types of cells in mammalian connective tissue, and they play a key role in wound healing and tissue repair. This image was captured using Stochastic Optical Reconstruction Microscopy (STORM).

Related to images 6888 and 6893.
Melike Lakadamyali, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.
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2607: Mouse embryo showing Smad4 protein

This eerily glowing blob isn't an alien or a creature from the deep sea--it's a mouse embryo just eight and a half days old. The green shell and core show a protein called Smad4. In the center, Smad4 is telling certain cells to begin forming the mouse's liver and pancreas. Researchers identified a trio of signaling pathways that help switch on Smad4-making genes, starting immature cells on the path to becoming organs. The research could help biologists learn how to grow human liver and pancreas tissue for research, drug testing and regenerative medicine. In addition to NIGMS, NIH's National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases also supported this work.
Kenneth Zaret, Fox Chase Cancer Center
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2756: Xenopus laevis embryos

Xenopus laevis, the African clawed frog, has long been used as a model organism for studying embryonic development. The frog embryo on the left lacks the developmental factor Sizzled. A normal embryo is shown on the right.
Michael Klymkowsky, University of Colorado, Boulder
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6532: Mosaicism in C. elegans (Black Background)

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. The head region of three worms that were genetically modified to express a fluorescent protein were imaged and the images were color-coded based on depth. The worm on the left lacks neuronal double-stranded RNA and thus every cell is fluorescent. In the middle worm, the expression of the fluorescent protein is silenced by neuronal double-stranded RNA and thus most cells are not fluorescent. The worm on the right lacks an enzyme that amplifies RNA for silencing. Surprisingly, the identities of the cells that depend on this enzyme for gene silencing are unpredictable. As a result, worms of identical genotype are nevertheless random mosaics for how the function of gene silencing is carried out. For more, see journal article and press release. Related to image 6534.
Snusha Ravikumar, Ph.D., University of Maryland, College Park, and Antony M. Jose, Ph.D., University of Maryland, College Park
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6962: Trigonium diatom

A Trigonium diatom imaged by a quantitative orientation-independent differential interference contrast (OI-DIC) microscope. Diatoms are single-celled photosynthetic algae with mineralized cell walls that contain silica and provide protection and support. These organisms form an important part of the plankton at the base of the marine and freshwater food chains. The width of this image is 90 μm.

More information about the microscopy that produced this image can be found in the Journal of Microscopy paper “An Orientation-Independent DIC Microscope Allows High Resolution Imaging of Epithelial Cell Migration and Wound Healing in a Cnidarian Model” by Malamy and Shribak.
Michael Shribak, Marine Biological Laboratory/University of Chicago.
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6580: Bacterial nanowire model

A model of a Geobacter sulfurreducens nanowire created from cryo-electron microscopy images. The bacterium conducts electricity through these nanowires, which are made up of protein and iron-containing molecules.
Edward Egelman, University of Virginia.
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3614: Birth of a yeast cell

Yeast make bread, beer, and wine. And like us, yeast can reproduce sexually. A mother and father cell fuse and create one large cell that contains four offspring. When environmental conditions are favorable, the offspring are released, as shown here. Yeast are also a popular study subject for scientists. Research on yeast has yielded vast knowledge about basic cellular and molecular biology as well as about myriad human diseases, including colon cancer and various metabolic disorders.

This image was part of the Life: Magnified exhibit that ran from June 3, 2014, to January 21, 2015, at Dulles International Airport.
Juergen Berger, Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology, and Maria Langegger, Friedrich Miescher Laboratory of the Max Planck Society, Germany
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3598: Developing zebrafish fin

Originally from the waters of India, Nepal, and neighboring countries, zebrafish can now be found swimming in science labs (and home aquariums) throughout the world. This fish is a favorite study subject for scientists interested in how genes guide the early stages of prenatal development (including the developing fin shown here) and in the effects of environmental contamination on embryos.

In this image, green fluorescent protein (GFP) is expressed where the gene sox9b is expressed. Collagen (red) marks the fin rays, and DNA, stained with a dye called DAPI, is in blue. sox9b plays many important roles during development, including the building of the heart and brain, and is also necessary for skeletal development. At the University of Wisconsin, researchers have found that exposure to contaminants that bind the aryl-hydrocarbon receptor results in the downregulation of sox9b. Loss of sox9b severely disrupts development in zebrafish and causes a life-threatening disorder called campomelic dysplasia (CD) in humans. CD is characterized by cardiovascular, neural, and skeletal defects. By studying the roles of genes such as sox9b in zebrafish, scientists hope to better understand normal development in humans as well as how to treat developmental disorders and diseases.

This image was part of the Life: Magnified exhibit that ran from June 3, 2014, to January 21, 2015, at Dulles International Airport.
Jessica Plavicki
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1330: Mitosis - prophase

A cell in prophase, near the start of mitosis: In the nucleus, chromosomes condense and become visible. In the cytoplasm, the spindle forms. 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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1247: Crab nerve cell

Neuron from a crab showing the cell body (bottom), axon (rope-like extension), and growth cone (top right).
Tina Weatherby Carvalho, University of Hawaii at Manoa
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6888: Chromatin in human fibroblast

The nucleus of a human fibroblast cell with chromatin—a substance made up of DNA and proteins—shown in various colors. Fibroblasts are one of the most common types of cells in mammalian connective tissue, and they play a key role in wound healing and tissue repair. This image was captured using Stochastic Optical Reconstruction Microscopy (STORM).

Related to images 6887 and 6893.
Melike Lakadamyali, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.
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1278: Golgi theories

Two models for how material passes through the Golgi apparatus: the vesicular shuttle model and the cisternae maturation model.
Judith Stoffer
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2635: Mitochondria and endoplasmic reticulum

A computer model shows how the endoplasmic reticulum is close to and almost wraps around mitochondria in the cell. The endoplasmic reticulum is lime green and the mitochondria are yellow. This image relates to a July 27, 2009 article in Computing Life.
Bridget Wilson, University of New Mexico
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3718: A Bacillus subtilis biofilm grown in a Petri dish

Bacterial biofilms are tightly knit communities of bacterial cells growing on, for example, solid surfaces, such as in water pipes or on teeth. Here, cells of the bacterium Bacillus subtilis have formed a biofilm in a laboratory culture. Researchers have discovered that the bacterial cells in a biofilm communicate with each other through electrical signals via specialized potassium ion channels to share resources, such as nutrients, with each other. This insight may help scientists to improve sanitation systems to prevent biofilms, which often resist common treatments, from forming and to develop better medicines to combat bacterial infections. See the Biomedical Beat blog post Bacterial Biofilms: A Charged Environment for more information.
Gürol Süel, UCSD
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3526: 800 MHz NMR magnet

Scientists use nuclear magnetic spectroscopy (NMR) to determine the detailed, 3D structures of molecules.
Asokan Anbanandam, University of Kansas
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3290: Three neurons and human ES cells

The three neurons (red) visible in this image were derived from human embryonic stem cells. Undifferentiated stem cells are green here. Image and caption information courtesy of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine.
Anirvan Ghosh lab, University of California, San Diego, via CIRM
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3730: A molecular interaction network in yeast 1

The image visualizes a part of the yeast molecular interaction network. The lines in the network represent connections among genes (shown as little dots) and different-colored networks indicate subnetworks, for instance, those in specific locations or pathways in the cell. Researchers use gene or protein expression data to build these networks; the network shown here was visualized with a program called Cytoscape. By following changes in the architectures of these networks in response to altered environmental conditions, scientists can home in on those genes that become central "hubs" (highly connected genes), for example, when a cell encounters stress. They can then further investigate the precise role of these genes to uncover how a cell's molecular machinery deals with stress or other factors. Related to images 3732 and 3733.
Keiichiro Ono, UCSD
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2496: Body toxins

Body organs such as the liver and kidneys process chemicals and toxins. These "target" organs are susceptible to damage caused by these substances. See image 2497 for a labeled version of this illustration.
Crabtree + Company
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2604: Induced stem cells from adult skin 02

These cells are induced stem cells made from human adult skin cells that were genetically reprogrammed to mimic embryonic stem cells. The induced stem cells were made potentially safer by removing the introduced genes and the viral vector used to ferry genes into the cells, a loop of DNA called a plasmid. The work was accomplished by geneticist Junying Yu in the laboratory of James Thomson, a University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health professor and the director of regenerative biology for the Morgridge Institute for Research.
James Thomson, University of Wisconsin-Madison
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1285: Lipid raft

Researchers have learned much of what they know about membranes by constructing artificial membranes in the laboratory. In artificial membranes, different lipids separate from each other based on their physical properties, forming small islands called lipid rafts.
Judith Stoffer
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3779: Precisely Delivering Chemical Cargo to Cells

Moving protein or other molecules to specific cells to treat or examine them has been a major biological challenge. Scientists have now developed a technique for delivering chemicals to individual cells. The approach involves gold nanowires that, for example, can carry tumor-killing proteins. The advance was possible after researchers developed electric tweezers that could manipulate gold nanowires to help deliver drugs to single cells.

This movie shows the manipulation of the nanowires for drug delivery to a single cell. To learn more about this technique, see this post in the Computing Life series.
Nature Nanotechnology
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2758: Cross section of a Drosophila melanogaster pupa

This photograph shows a magnified view of a Drosophila melanogaster pupa in cross section. Compare this normal pupa to one that lacks an important receptor, shown in image 2759.
Christina McPhee and Eric Baehrecke, University of Massachusetts Medical School
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3621: Q fever bacteria in an infected cell

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. A small fraction of people can develop a more serious, chronic form of the disease.

This image was part of the Life: Magnified exhibit that ran from June 3, 2014, to January 21, 2015, at Dulles International Airport.
Robert Heinzen, Elizabeth Fischer, and Anita Mora, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health
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3628: Skin cancer cells (squamous cell carcinoma)

This image shows the uncontrolled growth of cells in squamous cell carcinoma, the second most common form of skin cancer. If caught early, squamous cell carcinoma is usually not life-threatening.

This image was part of the Life: Magnified exhibit that ran from June 3, 2014, to January 21, 2015, at Dulles International Airport.
Markus Schober and Elaine Fuchs, The Rockefeller University
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2400: Pig trypsin (1)

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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5816: Cas9 protein involved in the CRISPR gene-editing technology

In the gene-editing tool CRISPR, a small strand of RNA identifies a specific chunk of DNA. Then the enzyme Cas9 (green) swoops in and cuts the double-stranded DNA (blue/purple) in two places, removing the specific chunk.
Janet Iwasa
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6661: Zebrafish embryo showing vasculature

A zebrafish embryo. The blue areas are cell bodies, the green lines are blood vessels, and the red glow is blood. This image was created by stitching together five individual images captured with a hyperspectral multipoint confocal fluorescence microscope that was developed at the Eliceiri Lab.
Kevin Eliceiri, University of Wisconsin-Madison.
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7021: Single-cell “radios” image

Individual cells are color-coded based on their identity and signaling activity using a protein circuit technology developed by the Coyle Lab. Just as a radio allows you to listen to an individual frequency, this technology allows researchers to tune into the specific “radio station” of each cell through genetically encoded proteins from a bacterial system called MinDE. The proteins generate an oscillating fluorescent signal that transmits information about cell shape, state, and identity that can be decoded using digital signal processing tools originally designed for telecommunications. The approach allows researchers to look at the dynamics of a single cell in the presence of many other cells.

Related to video 7022.
Scott Coyle, University of Wisconsin-Madison.
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2383: PanC from M. tuberculosis

Model of an enzyme, PanC, that is involved in the last step of vitamin B5 biosynthesis in Mycobacterium tuberculosis. PanC is essential for the growth of M. tuberculosis, which causes most cases of tuberculosis, and is therefore a potential drug target.
Mycobacterium Tuberculosis Center, PSI
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2567: Haplotypes (with labels)

Haplotypes are combinations of gene variants that are likely to be inherited together within the same chromosomal region. In this example, an original haplotype (top) evolved over time to create three newer haplotypes that each differ by a few nucleotides (red). See image 2566 for an unlabeled version of this illustration. Featured in The New Genetics.
Crabtree + Company
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1337: Bicycling cell

A humorous treatment of the concept of a cycling cell.
Judith Stoffer
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2345: Magnesium transporter protein from E. faecalis

Structure of a magnesium transporter protein from an antibiotic-resistant bacterium (Enterococcus faecalis) found in the human gut. Featured as one of the June 2007 Protein Sructure Initiative Structures of the Month.
New York Structural GenomiX Consortium
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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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3616: Weblike sheath covering developing egg chambers in a giant grasshopper

The lubber grasshopper, found throughout the southern United States, is frequently used in biology classes to teach students about the respiratory system of insects. Unlike mammals, which have red blood cells that carry oxygen throughout the body, insects have breathing tubes that carry air through their exoskeleton directly to where it's needed. This image shows the breathing tubes embedded in the weblike sheath cells that cover developing egg chambers.

This image was part of the Life: Magnified exhibit that ran from June 3, 2014, to January 21, 2015, at Dulles International Airport.
Kevin Edwards, Johny Shajahan, and Doug Whitman, Illinois State University.
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6585: Cell-like compartments from frog eggs 2

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. Regions without nuclei formed smaller compartments. Image created using epifluorescence microscopy.

For more photos of cell-like compartments from frog eggs view: 6584, 6586, 6591, 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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3635: The eye uses many layers of nerve cells to convert light into sight

This image captures the many layers of nerve cells in the retina. The top layer (green) is made up of cells called photoreceptors that convert light into electrical signals to relay to the brain. The two best-known types of photoreceptor cells are rod- and cone-shaped. Rods help us see under low-light conditions but can't help us distinguish colors. Cones don't function well in the dark but allow us to see vibrant colors in daylight.

This image was part of the Life: Magnified exhibit that ran from June 3, 2014, to January 21, 2015, at Dulles International Airport.
Wei Li, National Eye Institute, National Institutes of Health
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3687: Hippocampal neuron in culture

Hippocampal neuron in culture. Dendrites are green, dendritic spines are red and DNA in cell's nucleus is blue. Image is featured on Biomedical Beat blog post Anesthesia and Brain Cells: A Temporary Disruption?
Shelley Halpain, UC San Diego
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2683: GFP sperm

Fruit fly sperm cells glow bright green when they express the gene for green fluorescent protein (GFP).
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3363: Dopamine D3 receptor

The receptor is shown bound to an antagonist, eticlopride
Raymond Stevens, The Scripps Research Institute
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6606: Cryo-ET cross-section of the Golgi apparatus

On the left, a cross-section slice of a rat pancreas cell captured using cryo-electron tomography (cryo-ET). On the right, a 3D, color-coded version of the image highlighting cell structures. Visible features include the folded sacs of the Golgi apparatus (copper), transport vesicles (medium-sized dark-blue circles), microtubules (neon green), ribosomes (small pale-yellow circles), and lysosomes (large yellowish-green circles). Black line (bottom right of the left image) represents 200 nm. This image is a still from video 6609.
Xianjun Zhang, University of Southern California.
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2339: Protein from Arabidopsis thaliana

NMR solution structure of a plant protein that may function in host defense. This protein was expressed in a convenient and efficient wheat germ cell-free system. Featured as the June 2007 Protein Structure Initiative Structure of the Month.
Center for Eukaryotic Structural Genomics
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2543: DNA replication illustration

During DNA replication, each strand of the original molecule acts as a template for the synthesis of a new, complementary DNA strand. See image 2544 for a labeled version of this illustration.
Crabtree + Company
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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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6983: Genetic mosaicism in fruit flies

Fat tissue from the abdomen of a genetically mosaic adult fruit fly. Genetic mosaicism means that the fly has cells with different genotypes even though it formed from a single zygote. This specific mosaicism results in accumulation of a critical fly adipokine (blue-green) within the fat tissue cells that have reduced expression a key nutrient sensing gene (in left panel). The dotted line shows the cells lacking the gene that is present and functioning in the rest of the cells. Nuclei are labelled in magenta. This image was captured using a confocal microscope and shows a maximum intensity projection of many slices.

Related to images 6982, 6984, and 6985.
Akhila Rajan, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center
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2385: Heat shock protein complex from Methanococcus jannaschii

Model based on X-ray crystallography of the structure of a small heat shock protein complex from the bacteria, Methanococcus jannaschii. Methanococcus jannaschii is an organism that lives at near boiling temperature, and this protein complex helps it cope with the stress of high temperature. Similar complexes are produced in human cells when they are "stressed" by events such as burns, heart attacks, or strokes. The complexes help cells recover from the stressful event.
Berkeley Structural Genomics Center, PSI-1
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3427: Antitoxin GhoS (Illustration 1)

Structure of the bacterial antitoxin protein GhoS. GhoS inhibits the production of a bacterial toxin, GhoT, which can contribute to antibiotic resistance. GhoS is the first known bacterial antitoxin that works by cleaving the messenger RNA that carries the instructions for making the toxin. More information can be found in the paper: Wang X, Lord DM, Cheng HY, Osbourne DO, Hong SH, Sanchez-Torres V, Quiroga C, Zheng K, Herrmann T, Peti W, Benedik MJ, Page R, Wood TK. A new type V toxin-antitoxin system where mRNA for toxin GhoT is cleaved by antitoxin GhoS. Nat Chem Biol. 2012 Oct;8(10):855-61. Related to 3428.
Rebecca Page and Wolfgang Peti, Brown University and Thomas K. Wood, Pennsylvania State University
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2392: Sheep hemoglobin crystal

A crystal of sheep hemoglobin protein created for X-ray crystallography, which can reveal detailed, three-dimensional protein structures.
Alex McPherson, University of California, Irvine
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6781: Video of Calling Cards in a mouse brain

The green spots in this mouse brain are cells labeled with Calling Cards, a technology that records molecular events in brain cells as they mature. Understanding these processes during healthy development can guide further research into what goes wrong in cases of neuropsychiatric disorders. Also fluorescently labeled in this video are neurons (red) and nuclei (blue). Calling Cards and its application are described in the Cell paper “Self-Reporting Transposons Enable Simultaneous Readout of Gene Expression and Transcription Factor Binding in Single Cells” by Moudgil et al.; and the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences paper “A viral toolkit for recording transcription factor–DNA interactions in live mouse tissues” by Cammack et al. This video was created for the NIH Director’s Blog post The Amazing Brain: Tracking Molecular Events with Calling Cards.

Related to image 6780.
NIH Director's Blog
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2410: DNase

Crystals of DNase protein created for X-ray crystallography, which can reveal detailed, three-dimensional protein structures.
Alex McPherson, University of California, Irvine
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3627: Larvae from the parasitic worm that causes schistosomiasis

The parasitic worm that causes schistosomiasis hatches in water and grows up in a freshwater snail, as shown here. Once mature, the worm swims back into the water, where it can infect people through skin contact. Initially, an infected person might have a rash, itchy skin, or flu-like symptoms, but the real damage is done over time to internal organs.

This image was part of the Life: Magnified exhibit that ran from June 3, 2014, to January 21, 2015, at Dulles International Airport.
Bo Wang and Phillip A. Newmark, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2013 FASEB BioArt winner
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