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Springer captured this image as part of his postdoctoral research at Stanford University. In this project, microscopy was essential to observe whether development proceeded or stopped in the absence of myosin function at different developmental stages. Myosin, the protein that allows muscle to contract, was known to be essential for the beginning of development in certain amoebas, but its importance in subsequent stages was unknown. This work demonstrated that after development has begun, the function of cellular myosin is no longer required for any of the cell movements that occur until the very last stage, during which myosin function is once again essential.

To capture this image, Springer induced the amoeba cells to undergo multicellular development on agar plates that were then held obliquely in a clamp under a stereo dissection microscope. The illumination is from transmitted light, which contributes to the translucent glow in the developing slugs and the surface.

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