Kidney close-up
Scientists at Harvard have created breathtaking 3-D images of an entire organ, moving a step closer to understanding the complex development of the kidney. Their work provides a detailed view of the intricate structure of the kidney and its intertwined tubules. The pictures, one of which won a 2011 Wellcome Image Award for microscope images, are as striking as they are informative. The kidney appears suspended, pink and green against a black backdrop, with all the varied texture of a macroscopic picture. The surface appears covered in raised horseshoes of green, representing the cap mesenchyme. Under it, the characteristic lima bean shape of the kidney is a stringy mass of bubblegum-pink tissue. Bob Kao, a graduate student in the laboratory of Andrew McMahon in the departments of Molecular and Cellular Biology and Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology, is one of the scientists behind the project. He recently traveled to London to receive...