Blood-filled foetal aorta.
Coloured SEM of a fracture through a foetal aorta filled with red blood cells (erythrocytes, red). The aorta is the body’s main artery. It carries blood from the heart around the body. The vessel wall consists of an inner layer of endothelial cells (tunica intima, blue, rippled) surrounded by a muscle wall (tunica media, purple), which contracts to squeeze blood along the aorta. Surrounding the aorta is connective tissue.
Credit: STEVE GSCHMEISSNER/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY
Hope the the feotus was in good shape before/after this fracture business. ;) (Or maybe 'fracture' is a non-invasive SEM imaging term for a visual cross section?)
ReplyDeleteI'm surprised with how berry-like the blood cells look. I almost see a nouveau presentation of a plate with clumps of red berries laid out! I would have thought I would see something plasma like around the red blood cells.
Sean Walker Well, given that to do an electron microscope image you need to crystallize the sample and then cut it in thin slices, it is more likely that this is a biopsy! BTW did you try to search in google image the name in the credits? The images that are returned are absolutely mind blowing.
ReplyDeleteI'll have a look Massimo Marengo - thanks.
ReplyDelete