2014 Photomicrography Competition

Living pancreatic islets

Dr. Rory Duncan

Affiliation
Heriot-Watt University
Edinburgh Super-Resolution Imaging Consortium
Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom
Technique
2-Photon Microscopy
Magnification
63x

Living pancreatic islets: the groups of cells that make and secrete insulin; if they go wrong, this can lead to diabetes. This entire structure is around one-tenth of a millimeter across and each ‘blob’ is a single cell. The green cells have been infected with a virus that delivers genes that can modify the cellular behavior and perhaps one day, lead to a better understanding of diabetes.

Vespula vulgaris (common wasp) stinger

Geir Drange

Location
Asker, Norway
Technique
Reflected Light, Focus Stacking
Magnification
5x

Chlorophyll fluorescence of the symbiotic zooxanthellae (dinoflagellate algae of the genus Symbiodinium) living inside the cells of a sea anemone (Aiptasia pallida)

Dr. David Fransolet

Affiliation
University of Liège
Liège, Belgium
Technique
Fluorescence
Magnification
20x