

William Gilpin '14 and Clifford P. Brangwynne (faculty)
Department of Physics and Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering
This image of a droplet containing copper chloride was taken with visible light through a laboratory dissecting microscope. Look closely and you will see what appears to be a scratch on that droplet. This is actually a C. elegans worm floating motionlessly, paralyzed by the chemicals of its environment. In this state, the worm's straightened body can be measured for growth more effectively. Despite its slight 1 millimeter-long body, the C. elegans worm contains vast amounts of genetic potential and can be thoroughly studied to better understand other organisms that exist on a much larger biological scale.