Not What It Seems

Can you identify the objects in these biomedical research images?

Pew’s biomedical scholars and fellows are on the cutting edge of biomedical research—using new tools and techniques to tackle complex questions about human health. Every day, they look closely at the molecules and cells that make up our bodies and surroundings. Could you identify their objects of study? Take this quiz to view some of their subjects up close, and see if you can guess what they are.

Additional information on Pew’s biomedical programs can be found here.  

# testmode:'no', # quiz: randomChoices,instantClosed # incomplete test text :Please answer all questions to show results # submit Button Text : Show Results # results Title Text : Your Score # results Title :Thanks for your participation! # response : Thank you for taking the quiz # social Text :I scored {score} out of {total_questions}! How many of these biomedical images can you recognize? Take the quiz! # social Url : http://pew.org/2czZfJy # pass text:(!br!)Honorary scholar, congratulations! Pew's scholars and fellows are always learning from each other as well as from the experts in their fields, and their work spans a wide range of interests. (!br!) (!br!)Learn more about (!a href="http://www.pewtrusts.org/en/projects/pew-biomedical-scholars" target="_blank" !)Pew's biomedical scholars(!/a!), (!a href="http://www.pewtrusts.org/en/projects/pew-latin-american-fellows" target="_blank" !)Latin American fellows(!/a!) and the (!a href="http://www.pewtrusts.org/en/projects/pew-stewart-scholars-for-cancer-research\" target="_blank" !)Pew-Stewart Scholars for Cancer Research(!/a!) and their individual lines of work! # fail text:(!br!)Pew's scholars and fellows cover a huge variety of topics, and even the experts can't always tell what they’re looking at right away. (!br!) (!br!)Learn more about (!a href="http://www.pewtrusts.org/en/projects/pew-biomedical-scholars" target="_blank" !)Pew's biomedical scholars(!/a!), (!a href="http://www.pewtrusts.org/en/projects/pew-latin-american-fellows" target="_blank" !)Latin American fellows(!/a!) and the (!a href="http://www.pewtrusts.org/en/projects/pew-stewart-scholars-for-cancer-research" target="_blank" !)Pew-Stewart Scholars for Cancer Research(!/a!) and their individual lines of work! # passscore:7 # Martha Bagnall :link,http://www.pewtrusts.org/en/projects/pew-biomedical-scholars/directory-of-pew-scholars/2016/martha-bagnall,Martha Bagnall # Leo Wan :link,http://www.pewtrusts.org/en/projects/pew-biomedical-scholars/directory-of-pew-scholars/2013/leo-wan,Leo Wan # Viviana Gradinaru :link,http://www.pewtrusts.org/en/projects/pew-biomedical-scholars/directory-of-pew-scholars/2013/viviana-gradinaru,Viviana Gradinaru # Maksim Plikus :link,http://www.pewtrusts.org/en/projects/pew-biomedical-scholars/directory-of-pew-scholars/2016/maksim-plikus,Maksim Plikus # Luis María Pérez-Cuesta:link,http://www.pewtrusts.org/en/projects/pew-latin-american-fellows/directory-of-latin-fellows/2012/luis-mar-a-p-rez-cuesta,Luis Maria Perez-Cuesta # Diego Fernandez :link,http://www.pewtrusts.org/en/projects/pew-latin-american-fellows/directory-of-latin-fellows/2013/diego-fernandez,Diego Fernandez # Guilhermede Oliveira :link,http://www.pewtrusts.org/en/projects/pew-latin-american-fellows/directory-of-latin-fellows/2016/guilherme-de-oliveira,Guilherme de Oliveira # Jimena Giudice :link,http://www.pewtrusts.org/en/projects/pew-latin-american-fellows/directory-of-latin-fellows/2012/jimena-giudice,Jimena Giudice # Stephanie Dougan :link,http://www.pewtrusts.org/en/projects/pew-stewart-scholars-for-cancer-research/directory-of-stewart-scholars/2016/stephanie-dougan,Stephanie Dougan # Omer Yilmaz :link,http://www.pewtrusts.org/en/projects/pew-stewart-scholars-for-cancer-research/directory-of-stewart-scholars/2016/omer-yilmaz,Ömer Yilmaz # _baseurl :/~/media/data-visualizations/interactives/2016/biomedscholarsquiz/images/ ?1 Is that an explosion or ... ? (!img alt="Is that an explosion or" src="{_baseurl}Martha Bagnall.jpg?la=en"/!) - A ribcage + A brain scan ! In this image taken from the back surface of a zebrafish brain, neurons attached to the spinal cord have been dyed to show how they connect. {Martha Bagnall}, a 2016 Pew biomedical scholar, studies the nervous system. She uses images like these to untangle the complex circuit of neurons and signals that coordinate movement in our bodies. Her work will help deepen our understanding of how we walk and sit upright—and in the future may help patients regain balance that was lost due to injury or illness. - The digestive tract - Lymphatic vessels ?2 Is this a holiday wreath or ... ? (!img alt="Is that an explosion or" src="{_baseurl}Leo Wan.jpg?la=en"/!) - An iris - An ear canal + Blood vessel cells !It’s a group of the cells that line blood vessels, called endothelial cells, deposited on a microscopic ring. Pew 2013 scholar {Leo Wan} captured this image to demonstrate the cells’ chirality— the asymmetrical patterns they follow. Read more about his research into this phenomenon, also known as “handedness,” which plays an important role in embryonic development as well as in genetic diseases and birth defects. - Intestinal cells ?3 Is this a twig or ... ? (!img alt="Is that an explosion or" src="{_baseurl}Luis Mara PrezCuesta.jpg?la=en"/!) - A blood vessel - An eyelash - A ligament + A nerve cell !It’s a nerve cell, specifically the part of a nerve cell called a dendrite—a treelike structure that branches out from a nerve cell, helping it to integrate and conduct electrochemical signals from other cells. Changes in dendrite-mediated interaction between nerve cells can contribute to the formation of new memories. Pew 2012 Latin American fellow {Luis María Pérez-Cuesta} studies how nerve cells help to create and modify our memories. Learn more about his research and its potential applications for treating post-traumatic stress disorder and addiction. ?4 Is this a volcanic eruption or ... ? (!img alt="Is that an explosion or" src="{_baseurl}Diego Fernandez.jpg?la=en"/!) + A region of the brain !It’s a tiny region of the brain called the suprachiasmatic nucleus, which governs the body’s biological clocks. Neurons are stained red and green.  Pew 2013 Latin American fellow {Diego Fernandez} studies how irregular patterns of light (such as those experienced by night shift workers) can affect how the brain regulates the day-night cycle of physical, mental, and behavioral changes. His work could inform treatments for mood disorders, as well as lighting schemes for working and learning environments. - Blood cells - Lungs - Ovaries ?5 Is this an oil slick or ... ? (!img alt="Is that an explosion or" src="{_baseurl}Viviana Gradinaru.jpg?la=en"/!) - A bloodstain + Brain tissue !It’s brain tissue rendered translucent using a new imaging technique. Pew scholar {Viviana Gradinaru} was on the team of researchers that developed the technology. By better visualizing the brain, she hopes to better understand how nerve cells degenerate in diseases such as Parkinson’s—and ultimately how to slow that process. - Saliva - Skin ?6 Is that a bunch of worms or ... ? (!img alt="Is that an explosion or" src="{_baseurl}Guilherme de Oliveira.jpg?la=en"/!) - Electrons - Fat cells + Protein fibers !This is a group of protein fibers in the brain called alpha-synuclein fibrils. They are the hallmark of Parkinson’s disease, a neurodegenerative disorder affecting the neurons that control motor function, including our ability to sit upright without shaking. Pew 2016 Latin American fellow {Guilherme de Oliveira} is using state-of-the-art electron microscope technology to examine these fibers and understand how scientists might stem their growth. - Strands of hair ?7 Are these fireworks or ... ?(!img alt="Is that an explosion or" src="{_baseurl}Jimena Giudice.jpg?la=en"/!) - Embryos + Heart cells !They’re heart muscle cells, called cardiomyocytes. These cells, which comprise the majority of human heart tissue, function differently in developing fetuses than they do after birth and in adults. Pew 2012 Latin American fellow {Jimena Giudice} studies the gene expression network that allows cardiomyocytes to interact with other heart cells. Learn more about her research into the creation and maturation of a healthy heart. - Liver tissue - Thumbprints ?8 Is that a sea monster or ... ?(!img alt="Is that an explosion or" src="{_baseurl}Maksim Plikus.jpg?la=en"/!) - A leaf image - Skin tissue - A butterfly wing + A mouse’s ear !It’s a mouse’s ear. Here, the tip of the ear points to the left, and cells expressing different types of proteins during cellular growth are marked with different colors. Proliferating cells are marked with red, while the thin plate of cells in the middle is the developing ear cartilage. Pew 2016 biomedical scholar {Maksim Plikus} studies how wounds heal without scarring. He can pinpoint which cells can stimulate new tissue—and explore them to better understand the reasons scars develop and how tissues regenerate. ?9 Is this a hurricane approaching or ... ?(!img alt="Is that an explosion or" src="{_baseurl}Stephanie Dougan.jpg?la=en"/!) - An ultrasound scan - The thyroid - A brain scan + A tumor in the pancreas !This is a PET imaging scan that uses antibodies to track a tumor growing in a mouse’s pancreas. Pancreatic cancers are incredibly dense, which makes them very difficult to treat. {Stephanie Dougan}, a recent Pew-Stewart Scholar for Cancer Research, is exploring ways that immune cells could tackle cancer cells—using innovative technologies to target specific proteins in pancreatic tumors that do not appear elsewhere in the body. Dougan, like all of the Pew-Stewart Scholars, is focusing on research to accelerate cures for many different types of cancer. ?10 Is that a forest of algae or ... ?(!img alt="Is that an explosion or" src="{_baseurl}Omer Yilmaz.jpg?la=en"/!) + Gut cells !These are intestinal cells (pink/purple) that are transplanted into the colon (blue/green) as a model to study how diet can influence cellular interactions. {Omer Yilmaz}, a 2016 Pew-Stewart Scholar, is looking closely at intestinal cells to learn more about the ways that diet and aging affect cancerous cells as compared with healthy, living tissue. Yilmaz wants to understand how conditions inside the body—specifically, the presence of fat cells—affect the development of cancer and how changes in diet could help to prevent and treat disease. - Skin cells - Scar tissue - Bone marrow
America’s Overdose Crisis
America’s Overdose Crisis

America’s Overdose Crisis

Sign up for our five-email course explaining the overdose crisis in America, the state of treatment access, and ways to improve care

Sign up
Quick View

America’s Overdose Crisis

Sign up for our five-email course explaining the overdose crisis in America, the state of treatment access, and ways to improve care

Sign up
biomedical research

This video is hosted by YouTube. In order to view it, you must consent to the use of “Marketing Cookies” by updating your preferences in the Cookie Settings link below. View on YouTube

This video is hosted by YouTube. In order to view it, you must consent to the use of “Marketing Cookies” by updating your preferences in the Cookie Settings link below. View on YouTube

Biomedical Programs Bolster Early-Career Scientists
Composite image of modern city network communication concept

Learn the Basics of Broadband from Our Limited Series

Sign up for our four-week email course on Broadband Basics

Quick View

How does broadband internet reach our homes, phones, and tablets? What kind of infrastructure connects us all together? What are the major barriers to broadband access for American communities?

Pills illustration
Pills illustration

What Is Antibiotic Resistance—and How Can We Fight It?

Sign up for our four-week email series The Race Against Resistance.

Quick View

Antibiotic-resistant bacteria, also known as “superbugs,” are a major threat to modern medicine. But how does resistance work, and what can we do to slow the spread? Read personal stories, expert accounts, and more for the answers to those questions in our four-week email series: Slowing Superbugs.