Art or science? The eyes have it
This year, the "Wellcome Image" Awards celebrates its 20th anniversary. If you've not heard of it, it's about time. These images give us a peek into the world of science, with eyes a subject of particular interest.
Tiny eyes of a miniature pig
Here, we can see the eye of a miniature pig - or at least a 3D model of it. It's a combination of CT-scanning and 3D printing. The more open part on the right is the pupil. The blood vessels that supply the eye are also clearly visible.
Cheeky young bobtail
This charming little creature is known as a "Hawaiian bobtail squid". It's 33-35 millimeters long and comes from the coast of the Hawaiian archipelago. At night time, it likes to hunt around coral reefs. Shrimps are the main thing on its menu. During the day, it hides in the sand. The black ink sac is clearly visible here.
The complexity of staying warm
In this image of a dove, a contrast agent known as "BriteVu" has been used, making the blood vessels visible. This complex network is essential for the thermoregulation of the dove. Birds often stand on one leg to keep their heat loss as low as possible. The image was taken with a CAT scanner.
'Brain on a chip' project
Here, researchers were taking a look at how neuron stem cells grew on a synthetic gel. After just two weeks, the magenta colored stem cells produced green nerve fibers. By growing small organs on plastic chips, researchers are hoping to become better at predicting the efficacy and toxicity of drugs and vaccines, and to be able to do away with animal experiments in the future.
Placenta rainbows
This picture shows differences in the development of the placentas of mice, which can result from the manipulation of the immune system of the mother. The placentas were each examined on the twelfth day of the 20-day gestation period. Researchers want to understand and prevent complications during pregnancy. The image was created using light microscopy.
Mouse view
Here, we see the retina of a mouse depicted. The blue blood vessels, which spread outward from the center of the image, are clearly visible. The astrocytes are shown in red. They're special cells of the nervous system, which have many functions - for example supporting repair processes in the brain and spinal cord after injuries. This picture is composed of more than 400 other individual images.
DNA unwrapped
Here, we see unraveled DNA in a human lung cell. More specifically, it's from the nucleus of one of two new daughter cells. For unknown reasons, DNA got caught on one of the cells, causing it to unfold between the two daughter cells. By the way, the width of this image is just 84 micrometers (0.084 mm).
The look of the iris
This photo shows how an "irisclip," also known as an artificial intraocular lens (IOL), is placed on the eye. An irisclip is a thin lens made of silicone or acrylic, fixed with two hooks," which can be used to curb short-sightedness. This 70-year-old patient recovered almost 100 percent of his vision after this procedure.
Zebrafish glow
The zebrafish is tiny but it is still a popular object for research. It's robust, it reproduces quickly and it has important physiological systems in common with human beings. Here, geneticists have introduced a fluorescent gene that gives off the color red under certain activation conditions. It's apparently a way of studying fish behavior more closely.
Carmine cat hairs
This polarization microscope image shows a piece of cat skin, including hair (yellow), whiskers (also yellow) and blood supply (black). The sample comes from the Victorian era. The blood vessels were then injected with the dye carmine in order to make the capillaries visible in the tissue, a technique which had been newly developed at the time. This shot is twelve millimeters wide.