Nature of Nature

smithsonianmag:

Amazing Sea Butterflies Are the Ocean’s Canary in the Coal Mine

Most climate change discussion focuses on the warmth of the air, but around one-quarter of the carbon dioxide we release into the atmosphere dissolves into the ocean. Dissolved carbon dioxide makes seawater more acidic—a process called ocean acidification—and its effects have already been observed: the shells of sea butterflies, also known as pteropods, have begun dissolving in the Antarctic.

But some pteropod species are proving to do just fine in more acidic water, while others have shells that dissolve quickly. So why do some species perish while others thrive? - Continue reading at Smithsonian.com.

Photo: © Karen Osborn

(via somuchscience)

Coloured transmission electron micrograph of novel coronavirus.

(Source: sciencedaily.com)

Coloured transmission electron micrograph (TEM) of T2 bacteriophage viruses (orange) attacking an Escherichia coli bacterium. Each phage consists of a large DNA- containing head and a tail composed of a central sheath with several fibres. The fibres attach to the host cell surface, and the phage DNA is injected into the cell through the sheath. It instructs the host to build copies of the phage (progeny, in cell). Destroying the host’s DNA releases nucleotide building blocks, from which phage DNA is synthesised. It is then packaged in the progeny, which are released when the host bursts. Magnification: x64,000.

(Source: flickr.com)

 Stem cells in the skin - stem cells labelled in red are found in special microenvironments where they are surrounded by other types of cell.

(Source: cam.ac.uk)

A rendered image of a primary neuronal stem cell culture in which cells were labeled with different fluorescently labeled proteins that differentiate between stem cells (orange/yellow) and their neuronal ‘offspring’ (blue/ green/ purple).

(Source: thenode.biologists.com)

Huntington’s stem cell derived oligodendrocyte precursors stained for phalloidin (green), vinculin (red) and DNA (blue).

(Source: promo.gelifesciences.com)

The wild-type zebrafish larva on the left is stained for the two neuronal proteins (green) and membrane-trafficking proteins expressed near synapses (blue). On the right, the neurons of a transgenic zebrafish larva produce the dementia-associated Tau protein (red), a disease-specific form of which is stained in blue. Tubulin is stained in green.

(Source: the-scientist.com)

Sound detecting sensory cells of the inner ear.

(Source: promo.gelifesciences.com)

Rat dorsal root ganglia cells stained for Alpha Acetyl tubulin (red) and Nissl bodies (green).

(Source: promo.gelifesciences.com)

Trisomy 21 derived neural cells stained for neurofilament heavy (red), GAD65 (green) and DNA (blue).

(Source: promo.gelifesciences.com)