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Analytical Chemistry

Up-Close View Of Life

Art: "Life: Magnified" exhibit at Washington Dulles International Airport aims to raise public awareness of biomedical research with microscopy photographs

by Britt E. Erickson
June 16, 2014 | A version of this story appeared in Volume 92, Issue 24

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Credit: Igor Siwanowicz/HHMI
Mouth parts of a lone star tick
Mouth parts of a lone star tick.
Credit: Igor Siwanowicz/HHMI
Mouth parts of a lone star tick

Travelers passing through Washington Dulles International Airport can get a glimpse of the intricacies of life via images of cells, brains, bacteria, viruses, and more—some enlarged as much as 50,000 times. The images are in an exhibit called “Life: Magnified,” which is on display in the airport’s Gateway Gallery through November.

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Credit: Helena Parra/Pompeu Fabra U, Spain
Jellyfish
Jellyfish, viewed with ZEISS lightsheet Z.1 microscope.
Credit: Helena Parra/Pompeu Fabra U, Spain
Jellyfish

The collection showcases 46 brightly colored images that were selected from a batch of more than 600 that were created by biomedical researchers using state-of-the-art microscopy techniques. Each image is colored using chemical dyes or graphic design programs.

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Credit: Philipp Keller, Bill Lemon, Yinan Wan, Kristin Branson/HHMI
Zebrafish embryo 22 hours after fertilization
Zebrafish embryo, 22 hours after fertilization.
Credit: Philipp Keller, Bill Lemon, Yinan Wan, Kristin Branson/HHMI
Zebrafish embryo 22 hours after fertilization

The result is an “awe-inspiring” collection with “a stunning array of colors,” says National Institutes of Health Director Francis S. Collins. “Some of these images just stop you and make you marvel at the complexities of living things,” he says.

Exhibit collaborators the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) and the American Society for Cell Biology (ASCB) hope the exhibit will draw attention to the importance of biomedical investigation.

“This research is what lays the foundation for all medical advances to come,” NIGMS Director Jon R. Lorsch says. “We hope to make the public aware of this.”

About 2.5 million people pass through Dulles Airport each year. Perhaps the cell world will catch the eye of a business representative, a member of Congress, or a Washington official, says Stefano Bertuzzi, ASCB executive director. “Or perhaps best of all, a very curious 10-year-old can get inspired by the beauty of science.”

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