The brain is made of up billions of neurons and even more connections between neurons. We can get an idea of how neurons are connected across the human brain using a type of brain scan called diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (dMRI). How does dMRI work? It actually measures the direction that water moves throughout the brain. Sometimes, water can move in all directions equally easily – like … Continue reading The Brain is a Series of Tubes
Image contributed by Yu Wang, a third year graduate student at Harvard Medical School. Glial cells support the proper function of neuronal cell types and are also responsible for cleaning up cell debris such as leftover neurotransmitter molecules (what neurons use to communicate with each other). Certain types of glia, called microglia, function as the first line of defense in immune-privileged places such as the … Continue reading Retinal Corona
This is a layer of epithelial cells that was subjected to sever freeze-thaw cycles before being imaged at 400x magnification, which caused the membranes to rupture and form these arrays of crystal-like structures. When frozen, the water inside the cells expands, breaking through the cell membrane. With the membrane integrity compromised, when the cells are thawed the water inside leaks out, the fragments of membrane form aggregates, … Continue reading Cryolysed
The patterns seen here are called interference rings, or Newton’s rings, and are generated when light waves reflect off of two glass surfaces that are in very close proximity to each other, such as a glass microscope slide and a cover slip. Imperfections in the glass cause the waves to be reflected at different points of the wave. Where you see bright rings, two waves … Continue reading Just a Phase
These images show cross sections of the different compartments of the developing gut in a chick embryo: esophagus (top), small intestine (middle), and large intestine (bottom), at days 6, 8, 10, and 14 (left to right). As the chick develops, the shape of the gut changes from a simple tube to a more complex form with specific surface folding patterns. The way the surface is … Continue reading Tubular
Bovine Pulmonary Artery Epithelial (BPAE) cells have been featured several times in the gallery and on our Instagram; incase you missed them, check out Kaleidoskeleton, Plumotion, and Cytoskeleton Four Ways. In this stunning collage, BPAE cells and macrophages are artistically stitched in a kaleidoscopic array, their cytoskeletons and nuclei stained several different colors. The cytoskeleton is responsible for essential cell functions including cell … Continue reading Cell-eidoscope
One of our Instagram followers won a print of this beautiful image! Be sure to follow us on Instagram @SITN_Harvard for your chance to win some SciArt. This beautiful contribution from Don Pottle is best described by the legend himself: “A few years ago, I was asked by a maker of contact lenses to examine a few samples of used contact lenses. There was a suspicion of … Continue reading Crystaleyes
This image shows an unwound small intestine from a mouse embryo 15 days after conception. Blood vessels (blue) are responsible for carrying oxygen to the muscles of the gut and transporting dissolved nutrients from the intestine to the rest of the body. The intestinal nervous system (green) coordinates intricate digestive processes and is so complex that it has been nicknamed “the second … Continue reading Gut Feeling
By Andrew Wong, a second year graduate student in the Applied Physics program at Harvard University. The increase in global energy demand and subsequent carbon dioxide emissions has driven advancements in renewable energy generation technologies such as wind turbines and solar cells. However, these technologies are inherently intermittent, and require robust energy storage devices. Inexpensive, large-scale energy storage systems such as aqueous … Continue reading The Light of Elendil in Shelob’s Lair
A grain of pollen contains a sperm cell, surrounded by walls to keep it safe. The inner wall, or intine, is less sturdy and made of cellulose, but the outer wall, or extine, is made up of a very stable and tough polymer called sporopollenin. It is this outer wall which forms the distinctive shapes and external structures that help us tell different types … Continue reading Pollen, pollen, everywhere