neutrophil wending its way through a crowd of red blood cells to destroy its bacterial nemesis.
http://blog.wired.com/wiredscience/2008/11/top-10-amazin-1.html (http://blog.wired.com/wiredscience/2008/11/top-10-amazin-1.html)
I'd be interest to know how this thing is tracking the bacteria - its not as though it can use sight or smell,... chemotaxis?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_xh-bkiv_c&eurl (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_xh-bkiv_c&eurl)
I came in here with a joke in mind, but that is indeed cool.
chemotaxis ftw
here's a video about axon guidance (the axon is the output arm of a neuron). the cool thing is watching the effects when you add attractant or repellent factors.
edit: i have no idea how to embed a video. here's the url:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_9YTeEHp1E&feature=related (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_9YTeEHp1E&feature=related)
edit2: apparently that's how you do it. [roll]
This looking at biology at the microscopic level is fascinating! These things are actually IN us!
good video
I spend much of my day looking at things under a microscope. I'm amazed by things I see just about every time...it's really a whole other (little tiny) world
Quote from: Le Pirate on November 25, 2008, 01:19:43 PM
good video
I spend much of my day looking at things under a microscope. I'm amazed by things I see just about every time...it's really a whole other (little tiny) world
Me too. One of the main parts of my job is helping our customers collect data like this. [thumbsup]
As for the neutrophil, that is indeed chemotaxis. I used to do research on this as a postdoc.
neato. :o
thread... tooo... smart....
so I dropped out of college, ok? :P cool vids anyway! go science!!!!
Quote from: scienceiscool on November 25, 2008, 11:19:18 AM
chemotaxis ftw
My wife would probably kill for a sweatshirt that says "chemotaxis FTW!" You may just have solved my Christmas shopping problems in one swell foop.
Quote from: mstevens on November 26, 2008, 11:54:05 AM
My wife would probably kill for a sweatshirt that says "chemotaxis FTW!" You may just have solved my Christmas shopping problems in one swell foop.
[laugh]
I'd totally wear one of those
...but my wife would make fun of me for it.