Cells SimCity

This is what a human cell looks like up close. The unusual picture was from the NASA recorded with the help of cryo-electron microscopy. NASA has got us used to breathtaking images from the cosmos. Edited and colored images of distant nebulae and galaxies have always caught the imagination. This time, however, the agency associated with outer space helped create an image of one of the smallest objects that surrounds us - the cells of our body

Image source: Digizyme / NASA / Stanford University

The creation of this single image was made possible by the overlay of data created with X-rays, NMR (nuclear magnetic resonance) and cryo-electron microscopy were collected.

At first glance, this graphic looks like an explosion of colors. In practice, the internal components of the cell - the Golgi apparatus, mitochondria, endoplasmic reticulum, cell wall, and hundreds of Protein structures and organellesconnected to the cell membrane - seen from the left.

You can see more details for yourself. Pictures of the cells are on Digizymes available, along with interactive descriptions. Most of the items can also be clicked to view their descriptions.