Merging actual cellular fluorescent images and animation, we follow the light path through the underlying mechanisms of mirrors, lenses, and a servo motor that take real-time information from the sample being imaged and make immediate changes to maintain focus.
NIKON – EXPAND YOUR VIEW
By
Jordan Maire
A key part of the engineering that makes the Nikon Eclipse T12 a formidable microscope is the expanded field of view it offers. The second animation in a 4-part series on the new T12 microscope showcases this large field of view, helping the viewer appreciate how the field of double size is attained with a larger lens, and how that translates to a higher throughput of imaging.
USING GENETIC ENGINEERING TO MAKE VACCINES
By
admin
In the particular case shown in this animation, the plasmid is making the surface protein from the hepatitis B virus. Scientific detail is retained in the animation through the production of messenger RNA and translation by the ribosome to generate the structure of the hepatitis B surface protein.
HOW DOES HEPATITIS B COMBAT THE IMMUNE SYSTEM?
By
admin
The 8th animation in a series of 9 on the immune system and vaccines shows a swarm of hepatitis B proteins that vastly outnumber the neutralizing antibodies, and the viral particle making its escape to infect another cell
Attenuation: How Scientists Make Live Vaccines
By
Jordan Maire
Taming live viruses to teach the human immune system.
ANTIGENIC DRIFT: HOW THE INFLUENZA VIRUS ADAPTS
By
Jordan Maire
Some viruses have adapted mechanisms to evade the body’s defense mechanisms, namely through mutation. Viruses that cause the flu and COVID both mutate so that the protein ‘keys’ on the virus’ surface that induce an adaptive immune response and cause antibodies to be produced change over time.
THE ADAPTIVE IMMUNE SYSTEM
By
admin
In conjunction with the innate immune system, the adaptive immune system protects our body from infection and damage from foreign bodies (like bacteria and viruses). The adaptive immune system provides our body with a targeted defense by producing antibodies, which are made-to-order proteins against a particular feature of a particular invader.
THE INNATE IMMUNE SYSTEM
By
Jordan Maire
This animation depicts the dance of multiple cell types that comprise our innate immune system to identify and remove foreign particles before they can wreak havoc in our body. A live action basketball analogy in the visuals and voice over make this animation highly relatable, helping viewers understand the scale and function of our surface defense mechanisms against foreign particles (like viruses and bacteria).
HOW DO VIRUSES REPRODUCE?
By
admin
In the 3rd animation of the series, we continue the viral particle’s journey in the human body and see what happens after the virus has unlocked the lung cell and entered. Here, we witness the tragic beauty of viral infection and replication.
HOW DO ANTIBODIES WORK?
By
Jordan Maire
The 2nd installment of the series anchors the animation with a real-life scenario in 1920s Alaska, rushing diphtheria anti-toxin to treat an epidemic. Once upon a time, we didn’t have a vaccine for the deadly virus that causes diphtheria, and people who were infected with the diphtheria virus were infected easily and quickly, suffering debilitating symptoms requiring hospital treatment.
Merging actual cellular fluorescent images and animation, we follow the light path through the underlying mechanisms of mirrors, lenses, and a servo motor that take real-time information from the sample being imaged and make immediate changes to maintain focus.
