Image and Video Gallery

This is a searchable collection of scientific photos, illustrations, and videos. The images and videos in this gallery are licensed under Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial ShareAlike 3.0. This license lets you remix, tweak, and build upon this work non-commercially, as long as you credit and license your new creations under identical terms.

A Growing Bacterial Biofilm

5825

A growing Vibrio cholerae (cholera) biofilm. Cholera bacteria form colonies called biofilms that enable them to resist antibiotic therapy within the body and other challenges to their growth. Jing Yan, Ph.D., and Bonnie Bassler, Ph.D., Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ. View Media

C. elegans trapped by carnivorous fungus

6963

Real-time footage of Caenorhabditis elegans, a tiny roundworm, trapped by a carnivorous fungus, Arthrobotrys dactyloides. Michael Shribak, Marine Biological Laboratory/University of Chicago. View Media

Natural nanomachine in action

2336

Using a supercomputer to simulate the movement of atoms in a ribosome, researchers looked into the core of this protein-making nanomachine and took snapshots. Kevin Sanbonmatsu, Los Alamos National Laboratory View Media

Axolotls showing nervous system components

6928

Axolotls—a type of salamander—that have been genetically modified so that various parts of their nervous systems glow purple and green. Prayag Murawala, MDI Biological Laboratory and Hannover Medical School. View Media

Beta-galactosidase montage showing cryo-EM improvement--transparent background

5882

Composite image of beta-galactosidase showing how cryo-EM’s resolution has improved dramatically in recent years. Older images to the left, more recent to the right. Veronica Falconieri, Sriram Subramaniam Lab, National Cancer Institute View Media

Thermotoga maritima and its metabolic network

2702

A combination of protein structures determined experimentally and computationally shows us the complete metabolic network of a heat-loving bacterium. View Media

Lab mice

1069

Many researchers use the mouse (Mus musculus) as a model organism to study mammalian biology. Bill Branson, National Institutes of Health View Media

Microtubules in hippocampal neurons

6890

Microtubules (magenta) in neurons of the hippocampus, a part of the brain involved in learning and memory. Microtubules are strong, hollow fibers that provide structural support to cells. Melike Lakadamyali, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. View Media

Confocal microscopy image of two Drosophila ovarioles

5772

Ovarioles in female insects are tubes in which egg cells (called oocytes) form at one end and complete their development as they reach the other end of the tube. 2004 Olympus BioScapes Competition View Media

Leading cells with light

2708

A blue laser beam turns on a protein that helps this human cancer cell move. Responding to the stimulus, the protein, called Rac1, first creates ruffles at the edge of the cell. Yi Wu, University of North Carolina View Media

Beta-galactosidase montage showing cryo-EM improvement--gradient background

5883

Bacillus anthracis being killed

3525

Bacillus anthracis (anthrax) cells being killed by a fluorescent trans-translation inhibitor, which disrupts bacterial protein synthesis. Kenneth Keiler, Penn State University View Media

Chromatin in human tenocyte

6893

The nucleus of a degenerating human tendon cell, also known as a tenocyte. It has been color-coded based on the density of chromatin—a substance made up of DNA and proteins. Melike Lakadamyali, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. View Media

Video of Calling Cards in a mouse brain

6781

The green spots in this mouse brain are cells labeled with Calling Cards, a technology that records molecular events in brain cells as they mature. NIH Director's Blog View Media

Rabbit GPDA

2405

A crystal of rabbit GPDA protein created for X-ray crystallography, which can reveal detailed, three-dimensional protein structures. Alex McPherson, University of California, Irvine View Media

Mouse brain slice showing nerve cells

6901

A 20-µm thick section of mouse midbrain. The nerve cells are transparent and weren’t stained. Michael Shribak, Marine Biological Laboratory/University of Chicago. View Media

X-ray co-crystal structure of Src kinase bound to a DNA-templated macrocycle inhibitor 3

3415

X-ray co-crystal structure of Src kinase bound to a DNA-templated macrocycle inhibitor. Markus A. Seeliger, Stony Brook University Medical School and David R. Liu, Harvard University View Media

CRISPR Illustration Frame 4

6488

This illustration shows, in simplified terms, how the CRISPR-Cas9 system can be used as a gene-editing tool. National Institute of General Medical Sciences. View Media

TFIID complex binds DNA to start gene transcription

3766

Gene transcription is a process by which the genetic information encoded in DNA is transcribed into RNA. Eva Nogales, Berkeley Lab View Media

Young squids

6903

Real-time movie of young squids. Michael Shribak, Marine Biological Laboratory/University of Chicago. View Media

Culex quinquefasciatus mosquito larvae

6771

Mosquito larvae with genes edited by CRISPR swimming in water. Valentino Gantz, University of California, San Diego. View Media

Breast cancer cells change migration phenotypes

6986

Cancer cells can change their migration phenotype, which includes their shape and the way that they move to invade different tissues. Bo Sun, Oregon State University. View Media

Microarray 01

1070

Microarrays, also called gene chips, are tools that let scientists track the activity of hundreds or thousands of genes simultaneously. Maggie Werner-Washburne, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque View Media

HIV Capsid

3477

This image is a computer-generated model of the approximately 4.2 million atoms of the HIV capsid, the shell that contains the virus' genetic material. Juan R. Perilla and the Theoretical and Computational Biophysics Group, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign View Media

Cryo-ET cross-section of a rat pancreas cell

6608

On the left, a cross-section slice of a rat pancreas cell captured using cryo-electron tomography (cryo-ET). On the right, a 3D, color-coded version of the image highlighting cell structures. Xianjun Zhang, University of Southern California. View Media

Crab larva eye

1251

Colorized scanning electron micrographs progressively zoom in on the eye of a crab larva. In the higher-resolution frames, bacteria are visible on the eye. Tina Weatherby Carvalho, University of Hawaii at Manoa View Media

Multivesicular bodies containing intralumenal vesicles assemble at the vacuole 3

5767

Collecting and transporting cellular waste and sorting it into recylable and nonrecylable pieces is a complex business in the cell. Matthew West and Greg Odorizzi, University of Colorado View Media

The nascent juvenile light organ of the Hawaiian bobtail squid

7017

A light organ (~0.5 mm across) of a Hawaiian bobtail squid, Euprymna scolopes, with different tissues are stained various colors. Margaret J. McFall-Ngai, Carnegie Institution for Science/California Institute of Technology, and Edward G. Ruby, California Institute of Technology. View Media

Single-Molecule Imaging

3339

This is a super-resolution light microscope image taken by Hiro Hakozaki and Masa Hoshijima of NCMIR. Tom Deerinck, NCMIR View Media

Cell-like compartments from frog eggs 3

6586

Cell-like compartments that spontaneously emerged from scrambled frog eggs. Endoplasmic reticulum (red) and microtubules (green) are visible. Image created using epifluorescence microscopy. Xianrui Cheng, Stanford University School of Medicine. View Media

Biosensors illustration

2802

A rendering of an activity biosensor image overlaid with a cell-centered frame of reference used for image analysis of signal transduction. Gaudenz Danuser, Harvard Medical School View Media

Insulin production and fat sensing in fruit flies

6982

Fourteen neurons (magenta) in the adult Drosophila brain produce insulin, and fat tissue sends packets of lipids to the brain via the lipoprotein carriers (green). Akhila Rajan, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center View Media

Protein crystals

1060

Structural biologists create crystals of proteins, shown here, as a first step in a process called X-ray crystallography, which can reveal detailed, three-dimensional protein structures. Alex McPherson, University of California, Irvine View Media

Rotavirus structure

3584

This image shows a computer-generated, three-dimensional map of the rotavirus structure. This virus infects humans and other animals and causes severe diarrhea in infants and young children. Bridget Carragher, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA View Media

Crane fly spermatocyte undergoing meiosis

6898

A crane fly spermatocyte during metaphase of meiosis-I, a step in the production of sperm. Michael Shribak, Marine Biological Laboratory/University of Chicago. View Media

Electrode probe on mouse Huntington's muscle cell

3479

Using an electrode, researchers apply an electrical pulse onto a piece of muscle tissue affected by Huntington's disease. Grigor Varuzhanyan and Andrew A. Voss, California State Polytechnic University View Media

Yeast cells with endocytic actin patches

6793

Yeast cells with endocytic actin patches (green). These patches help cells take in outside material. When a cell is in interphase, patches concentrate at its ends. Alaina Willet, Kathy Gould’s lab, Vanderbilt University. View Media

Zebrafish embryo showing vasculature

6661

A zebrafish embryo. The blue areas are cell bodies, the green lines are blood vessels, and the red glow is blood. Kevin Eliceiri, University of Wisconsin-Madison. View Media

Zebrafish head vasculature video

6933

Various views of a zebrafish head with blood vessels shown in purple. Prayag Murawala, MDI Biological Laboratory and Hannover Medical School. View Media

Superconducting magnet

1120

Superconducting magnet for NMR research, from the February 2003 profile of Dorothee Kern in Findings. Mike Lovett View Media

Glow-in-the-dark salamanders

2715

These six-month-old axolotls, a kind of salamander, glow green and blue under ultraviolet light. That's because they were genetically modified to make harmless green fluorescent protein, or GFP. View Media

RNase A (1)

2398

A crystal of RNase A protein created for X-ray crystallography, which can reveal detailed, three-dimensional protein structures. Alex McPherson, University of California, Irvine View Media

Dynamic cryo-EM model of the human transcription preinitiation complex

5730

Gene transcription is a process by which information encoded in DNA is transcribed into RNA. Eva Nogales, Berkeley Lab View Media

Zebrafish head vasculature

6934

A zebrafish head with blood vessels shown in purple. Prayag Murawala, MDI Biological Laboratory and Hannover Medical School. View Media

Bovine milk alpha-lactalbumin (2)

2404

Crystals of bovine milk alpha-lactalbumin protein created for X-ray crystallography, which can reveal detailed, three-dimensional protein structures. Alex McPherson, University of California, Irvine View Media

Podocytes from a chronically diseased kidney

3565

This scanning electron microscope (SEM) image shows podocytes--cells in the kidney that play a vital role in filtering waste from the bloodstream--from a patient with chronic kidney disease. Olga Troyanskaya, Princeton University and Matthias Kretzler, University of Michigan View Media

More Images...

View All Images