Winners of WSC23: Microscopy images

The following post list the winners of WSC 2023.

The winning submission of Microscopy images category shows us cell divisions of a sea urchin embryo. It was made by Aude Nommick.

Comment from the author:

Since I was a little girl, I knew I wanted to understand why leaves are green, how fish swim and how the heart beats. One of the first childhood memories I have is the day my parents took me with five years old to visit the Museum of Natural History of Paris, and I saw this huge whale skeleton suspended in the air. I dreamed about it for years, telling myself that I had to understand the origin of life.

Later, my passion for photography and traveling, made the perfect link with my work. My specialty is cell biology, and more specifically the study of basic cell mechanisms and embryo development using marine models. The ocean has always fascinated me, because its organisms have completely magical ways of adapting to extreme environments. On top of that, they can be useful for understanding fundamental biological mechanisms that also apply to humans!

Currently working at the Institut Jacques Monod in the Nicolas Minc Team (CNRS, Paris), I’m using sea urchin embryos to study the mechanisms that regulate the orientation of cell divisions, a phenomenon linked to human cancer development. This is exactly what we see in this microscopy acquisition. In turquoise we see the membranes of dividing cells, in red the microtubules that serve as “ropes” to pull the chromosomes, and in green the DNA in the form of chromosomes.

Comment from the jury:

This image captivates the viewer with its vibrant interplay of colors and its intricate biological details. The turquoise membranes, red microtubules, and emerald green DNA create a visually striking and scientifically informative palette. This detailed visualization of dynamic cellular events serves as a compelling model to illustrate key components of a fundamental cellular process.

Runners-up:

Pupae of the Paracodrus apterogynus in the shell remains of a click beetle (Elateridae) larva. Enno Merivee from Estonia.
Image of five Toxoplasma gondii parasites (tachyzoites) in a human foreskin fibroblast, obtained using ultrastructure expansion microscopy. Morne Arin from Ukraine.
Mating of Boeckella gracilis copepods observed in dark field microscopy. Brandon Antonio Segura Torres & Priscilla Vieto Bonilla from Argentine.
Confocal image of a fruit fly retina expressing a toxic form of the RdgB protein, leading to degeneration. Guilliaume Thuery from Ireland.
SEM Image of ZnO nanorod structures taken from UKM research laboratory. WMjay from Malaysia.
Differentiation of Human-Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells to GABAergic Neurons. Morozless from Ukraine.

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