“Sensing Danger”
Winner of 1st Place in Nikon’s Small World in Motion Competition of 2012.
An efficient innate immune reaction is triggered when an inguinal lymph node (center) is damaged by a laser. Neutrophils, which are the most abundant type of white blood cells in mammals, are seen “rushing” to the site of damage. (Note, however, that even though this GIF loops every 2.5 seconds, what you are seeing actually occurred over a period of 13.7 minutes.) This type of response is often studied for the development of adaptive immune response.
Nikon Instruments said the movie won 1st place because it demonstrated the delicate balance between science and art. “Dr. Kamenyeva’s image is the perfect combination of cutting-edge science with aesthetics that we look for in Small World, to help raise the profile of science with scientists and non-scientists alike,” said Eric Flem, the communications manager for Nikon Instruments.
Credit: Olena Kamenyeva, National Institute of Health’s NIAID Laboratory of Immunoregulation, Bethesda, Maryland, USA.