What’s Under the Microscope?

# results title text: Congratulations—you correctly identified {score} of {total_questions} microscopy images! # results text:

Thanks for testing your biomedical knowledge!

Learn more about the groundbreaking research happening across Pew’s biomedical programs, including the biomedical scholars, Pew-Stewart Scholars for Cancer Research, and Latin American fellows programs.

# wrong text: Sorry, that's incorrect. # right text: That's correct! # social text incomplete: Can you identify what’s under the microscope? Try it yourself to learn what Pew's biomedical scholars and fellows are working on: bit.ly/xyz123 # social text complete: Can you identify what’s under the microscope? I took the quiz and got a {score} out of {total_questions}! Try it yourself to learn what Pew's biomedical scholars and fellows are working on: bit.ly/xyz123 # _imgurl : /-/media/data-visualizations/interactives/2022/microscope_quiz/ ? This may look like a colorful butterfly, but it is actually… (!img[Courtesy of Joseph Parker, Ph.D.]({_imgurl}Microscope_Quiz_1.jpg) /!) - a mouse brain + an insect gland ! This is a rove beetle defense gland with specialized cells marked in green and magenta. The image was captured in the lab of 2022 Pew biomedical scholar Joseph Parker, Ph.D. Sometimes referred to as the “chemists of the animal kingdom,” rove beetles (Staphylinidae) produce various chemical compounds to meet their needs in the surrounding environment—whether to defend against threats or manipulate social insects, such as ants, to coexist in a community. Parker’s lab at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena is demystifying this survival technique to see what it can reveal about human health and the discovery of natural therapeutics. - a fish heart - a fruit fly wing ? These green clusters resemble broccoli florets, but the image shows… (!img[Courtesy of Sujit Datta, Ph.D.]({_imgurl}Microscope_Quiz_2.jpg) /!) - a strand of hair - algae + a bacterial colony ! This image shows a 3D colony of the bacterium Escherichia coli (E. coli), which is commonly found in human intestines and the environment. Some forms are harmless while others can make people sick. Sujit Datta, Ph.D., a 2021 Pew biomedical scholar, provided this image of a bacterial colony that was taken in his lab at Princeton University in New Jersey. Researchers there developed a gel-like “porous Petri dish” for use in bacteria growth and observation. By examining how microbes navigate this complex landscape, Datta’s team hopes to better understand how infectious bacteria spread within the intricate human body. - a spinal cord ? This is not a supernova in a far-off galaxy, but… (!img[Courtesy of Christina Towers, Ph.D.]({_imgurl}Microscope_Quiz_3.jpg) /!) - cells traveling through blood vessels - a network of neurons - an immune cell engulfing bacteria + cell degradation and recycling ! This cosmic image actually illustrates the metabolic recycling process (known as autophagy) in mammalian connective tissue. Red staining depicts the fusion of sac-like structures containing cellular garbage with lysosomes, organelles carrying digestive enzymes. The image was captured in the lab of Christina Towers, Ph.D., a 2022 Pew-Stewart scholar. Cancer cells are agile and can rapidly evolve to evade treatment by adapting their metabolic processes. Towers discovered that some cancer cells continue multiplying when autophagy is turned off. Her lab at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla, California, is building an imaging system to examine this process and uncover ways to prevent or control therapeutic resistance. ? Is this some kind of sea creature or… (!img[Courtesy of Amber Alhadeff, Ph.D.]({_imgurl}Microscope_Quiz_4.jpg) /!) + a nerve structure ! This photo shows cells in the nodose ganglion, a collection of neurons in the afferent vagus nerve of a mouse. These afferent neurons are sensory, meaning that they detect the state of the body and transmit this information to the brain. Colorful staining sets apart the different neuron receptors. Kuei-Pin Huang, Ph.D., a postdoctoral fellow in the lab of 2022 biomedical scholar Amber Alhadeff, Ph.D., captured this image. Alhadeff’s group, based at the Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia, explores the neural circuits that coordinate the body’s nutritional needs and the desire to eat. The information gained could shed light on treatments for diseases such as obesity and diabetes. - a lymph node - blue-green algae - a plant root ? Could this be an image of a hip bone or… (!img[Courtesy of Sergio Hidalgo Sotelo, Ph.D.]({_imgurl}Microscope_Quiz_5.jpg) /!) - muscle fiber + a fruit fly brain ! This image shows a fruit fly (Drosophila melanogaster) brain. Neuropeptides, proteins involved in the modulation of seasonal adaptation in insects, are illuminated in bright green. The photo was provided by 2021 Latin American fellow Sergio Hidalgo Sotelo, Ph.D. Many animals exhibit different behaviors during different seasons, and Hidalgo Sotelo’s work in the lab of Joanna C. Chiu, Ph.D., at the University of California, Davis, explores this phenomenon at a molecular level in fruit flies. Findings from this research could help uncover insights into how best to treat disorders that emerge seasonally. - vertebrae - an ear canal ? Is this a closeup of someone blowing bubbles through a straw or… (!img[Courtesy of Amelia Escolano, Ph.D.]({_imgurl}Microscope_Quiz_6.jpg) /!) + mouse oocytes ! The image shows a glass pipette in the process of picking up a mouse oocyte (egg cell). It was provided by Amelia Escolano, Ph.D., a 2022 Pew biomedical scholar. Escolano’s lab at the Wistar Institute’s Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center in Philadelphia uses mouse eggs as tools for creating genetically engineered models for vaccine research. Her group is exploring how to develop a vaccine with “broadly neutralizing antibodies” that would have the power to fight several rapidly mutating viruses—such as HIV, SARS-CoV-2 and influenza—at once. - white blood cells - muscle cells - bacteria ? Is this an algal bloom in a still pond or… (!img[Courtesy of Maayan Levy, Ph.D.]({_imgurl}Microscope_Quiz_7.jpg) /!) - kidney tissue - brain tissue - a tongue + a colon tumor ! This microscopy image shows a cross section of a colon tumor in a mouse. Green staining illuminates cell markers that indicate rapid growth and proliferation. The image comes from the lab of Maayan Levy, Ph.D., at the University of Pennsylvania. The 2022 Pew biomedical scholar is exploring how different factors contribute to changes in intestinal cells to cause disease. Specifically, her team is studying how internal factors from the brain affect the biology of these cells. ? Is this a colorful explosion of fireworks or… (!img[Courtesy of Steve Ramirez, Ph.D.]({_imgurl}Microscope_Quiz_8.jpg) /!) - antibodies + brain cells ! This image shows a cross section of the hippocampus when brain cells in mice that are genetically programmed to glow green are activated with a positive memory. It was captured in the lab of Steve Ramirez, Ph.D., at Boston University. Ramirez, a 2022 Pew biomedical scholar, is exploring the impact of positive and negative memory formation on the progression of Alzheimer’s disease. To do so, his lab will examine the cells involved in memory formation and discover whether repeat activation of these cells changes molecular and outward signs of Alzheimer’s in mice. - blood cells - sperm cells