Scientists using “chemical dyes or graphic design programs” to better understand human health and diseases are exhibiting new colorful cell images in the Life: Magnified show, according to the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS). Part of Washington Dulles International Airport Gateway Gallery’s arts program, microscopic “brain, blood, eye, skin, liver, muscle” photos from living organisms are displayed.
If you are flying through DIA and would like to catch it, the exhibition is on now through November 2014. Otherwise, check out this sneak preview.
1. Cerebellum: the brain’s locomotion control center
(Source: National Institute of General Medical Sciences / Thomas Deerinck, University of California)
This is a mouse’s brain locomotion control center. “Every time you shoot a basketball, tie your shoe or chop an onion, your cerebellum fires into action” and if this is damaged, you will have problems balancing and coordinating movements.
2. Cerebellum (the brain’s locomotion control center) up close
(Source: National Institute of General Medical Sciences / Thomas Deerinck, University of California)
Microscopic view of cerebellum (above).
3. Brain showing hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease (plaques in blue)
(Source: National Institute of General Medical Sciences /Alvin Gogineni, Genentech)
This mouse has red blood cells, green nerve cells and abnormal blue protein clumps that indicate Alzheimer’s Disease. When these blue plaques multiply, memory impairments occur.
4. Purkinje cells (red) – one of the main cell types in the brain
(Source: National Institute of General Medical Sciences / Yinghua Ma and Timothy Vartanian, Cornell University)
Purkinje is one of the brain’s main types of nerve cell with “elaborate branching structures called dendrites that receive signals from other nerve cells.”
5. Q fever bacteria (yellow) in an infected cell
(Source: National Institute of General Medical Sciences / Robert Heinzen, Elizabeth Fischer and Anita Mora, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health)
This yellow Q-fever bacteria infects cows, sheep and goats, and humans too.
6. Three-dimensional map of a rotavirus
(Source: National Institute of General Medical Sciences / National Resource for Automated Molecular Microscopy)
This is a 3D rotavirus magnified 50,000 times. Rotavirus infects humans and animals, causing severe diarrhea in infants and young children. This virus causes 450,000 deaths annually.
7. Cells missing a key molecule look spiky and cannot move normally
(Source: National Institute of General Medical Sciences / Praveen Suraneni and Rong Li, Stowers Institute for Medical Research)
This fibroblast (a connective tissue cell) promotes wound healing. Normal fibroblasts have smooth edges but this spiky cell is “missing a protein that is necessary for proper construction of the cell’s skeleton.” Its jagged shape means the cell can’t move normally and can cause birth defects, faulty immune function and other health problems.
8. Skin cell (keratinocyte)
(Source: National Institute of General Medical Sciences /Torsten Wittmann, University of California)
This human skin cell was “treated with a growth factor that triggered the formation of specialized protein structures that enable the cell to move.” Cell movements are needed for wound healing and immunity response.
9. Developing Nerve Cells
(Source: National Institute of General Medical Sciences / Torsten Wittmann, University of California)
These developing mouse nerve cells transmit electrical signals from one cell to another.
10. HIV, the AIDS virus (yellow), infecting a human cell
(Source: National Institute of General Medical Sciences / Seth Pincus, Elizabeth Fischer and Austin Athman, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases)
This blue human T cell is being attacked by the yellow HIV virus that causes AIDS. T cells protect against invaders like bacteria and viruses, and this is affected by the HIV virus.
Life: Magnified’s full list of images can be found here.
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