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Biocanvas
Life imitating art imitating life.
"Art is born of the observation and investigation of nature." - Cicero Note: I do not claim ownership of these images nor intend to defy any copyright. All images are sourced back to their original URLs with the creators credited where possible. |
Light strikes the retina located in the back of our eyes, allowing us to see. Within the retina are neurons that transmit a signal to the brain when they are stimulated with light. Seen here is the surface of the retina from a mouse, with neurons converging towards the optic disc (bottom), the location where neurons exit the eye towards the brain.
Image by Dr. Alejandra Bosco, University of Utah.
All insects have antennae, which allow them to respond to free-floating molecules much like noses do in higher organisms. This is a high-magnification view of an antenna from a moth.
Image by Dr. Donna Stolz, University of Pittsburgh.
As sedimentary grains get trapped with bacteria in shallow water, stromatolites form, giving a window into microbial life that date back more than 3.5 billion years ago. Shown here is a stromatolite with cyanobacteria, one of the first producers of oxygen that radically altered our atmosphere to what it is today.
Image by Douglas Moore, University of Wisconsin.
Before a cell divides, it must carefully check that all of its systems are normal and operational before initiating division. Cancers are often riddled with mistakes in this machinery, allowing a cell to divide uncontrollably without first ensuring everything is “good to go.” In this Ashbya gossypii fungus, the CLN3 protein (orange, with nuclei in blue) helps initiate the commitment to cell division given that the cell correctly passes its initial checkpoint.
Image by ChangHwan Lee, Dartmouth College.
As marine life like the parrot fish consumes coral, mollusks, and crustaceans, it excretes inorganic material that contributes to coral sand. Seen here is a high magnification of coral sand, depicting the fragments of skeletons from once living creatures.
Image by Dr. David Maitland.
Just before the fruit fly Drosophila enters metamorphosis to become an adult fly, the developing eye begins to form a furrow where specialized light-sensitive cells will develop.
Image by Dr. Michael Bridge, University of Utah.
Bloods vessels in the brain of a live zebrafish embryo.
Image by Dr. Jennifer Peters and Dr. Michael R. Taylor, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
The eyes of a jumping spider (shown here is a section through the head) have distinct functions. The large central eyes provide a high-resolution, three-dimensional view in order to estimate the location of prey, while the smaller eyes on the side offer a wider field of vision to respond to threats.
Image by Dr. Igor Siwanowicz, Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology.
(Source: microscopyu.com)
Hair follicles, shown here from the skin of a mouse, are the site of new hair growth. Inside the follicle is a group of stem cells known as the bulge (dark blue) that will give rise to cells that make more hair.
Image by Ian Smyth, Monash University.
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