Field of Science

Mystery Micrograph #01

Prelude to Sunday's topic:
(to be referenced later)
Anyone wanna take a stab at what's going on here? This image stumped many during a lab exam...

You have until Sunday, say 8pm Pacific Time.

Reward: Ehhh... feelings of triumph and superiority? A free beer if we ever meet in real life? 50 IKUs (Internet Kudos Units)?

Good luck!

Note: People involved with course in question forbidden from participating. As are certain other members and ex-members of the department. You know who you are.


  1. Heh -- I know that one! But I am one of those ex-members of the department, so I will play nice and not say (yet).

  2. It is something you cut and put under the microscope. I bet it's a slice of the poor Arabidopsis!!!!

  3. Nope, nothing to do with plants. It is a cross section of something, you are right about that.

    A hint: it's small. (want any more useless hints?)

  4. If it's not a plan then the remaining options are:
    1. Is alive - Fungi? Animal? Maybe the slice of a poor insect? A cockroack slice?
    2. It's not alive.... a creotard neuronal cell?

  5. I think it's a protist, with associated bacteria closely appressed to the cell surface. The protruding arms of the cell are probably an adaptation to increase the surface area for interactions that benefit both species.

    The bacteria (if that's what they are) are different diameters and with differing densities of stuff in them. This could just mean that they are spherical cells cut through at different places, or there could be two (or more) different kinds of bacteria.

    But I have no idea about the identities of the cells.

  6. Rosie got the closest! (although barely eligible...lucky Zoology is a whole other department =P)


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