Microtubules are composed of a protein called tubulin, which consists of alpha and beta subunits that assemble into large, tube-shaped filaments within the cell. These fibers are dynamic, growing from ...

The protein actin is crucial for one of the last steps in cell division – a process called cytokinesis. At the end of cell division, the two resulting cells separate. Actin filaments form a ring in ...

What am I looking at? This image shows a 1-millimeter-thick coronal slice (from top to bottom) through the brain of a mouse, with neurons that produce somatostatin in purple (1) and pyramidal neurons ...

The small yellow rods seen resting on these purple blades are Yersinia pestis bacteria – the cause of bubonic plague. This bacterial infection is mainly spread to humans by fleas but can also be ...

Some adult neurons have projections that are amazingly long – thousands of times the length of their cell bodies in some cases. This means that during development, the growing cells need to be able to ...

These multicolored cells are from the liver of a mouse; the liver is one of the most functionally diverse organs. These cells are responsible for filtering the blood, as well as producing important ...

What am I looking at? Here you can see several clusters of stems cells that will grow into the flower of a thale cress plant. Each cluster, or sphere, is a group of multiple cells (1). The colors in ...

Bow down to the majesty and glory of this emperor moth caterpillar’s regal appearance, with its crown of light blue spiked spheres. This caterpillar will eventually transform into a large moth with ...

The ER is the protein synthesis and processing center of a cell. There are two types of ER in a cell: rough ER and smooth ER. The rough ER membrane is studded with ribosomes, which are molecular ...

This complex arrangement of rods and interlocking gears is the hip joint of an immature planthopper insect. It’s the only instance of functioning, interlocking gears that has been found in nature, at ...

What am I looking at? This video shows actin at work in a growing intestinal organoid. The video is depth-coded for color, which means that cooler colors like blue and purple are closer to the viewer ...

This view of a kidney epithelial cell provides important insights into how microvilli, which absorb nutrients, are created and how they behave. This view of a kidney epithelial cell provides important ...