Under the Microscope

By Cambridge University

What's Under the Microscope about?

Cambridge University's Under the Microscope is a collection of videos that capture glimpses of the natural and man-made world in stunning close-up and convey the excitement of cutting-edge science in areas that range from beetle eyes to killer T-cells, from nano-wires to fish skeletons.

Logo image by Fernan Federici in the Haseloff Lab.

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Under the Microscope episodes:

04.12.2012
Tiny worm pellets
Matthew Kuo tells us how tiny worm faecal pellets affect how oil pipelines sit on the seabed.
04.12.2012
Nanowires
Nanowires growing in real time. Each nanowire is roughly 400 atoms wide.
03.23.2012
Elephant fish embryo
Dr Andrew Gillis explains how an elephant fish embryo lives off a large yellow yolk sack for 7 to 10 months before hatching out as a fish. Dr Gillis: “This is a picture of an elephant fish embryo. Elephant fish are cartilaginous...
03.16.2012
Liquid jets
In this video Dr Sungjune Jung shows us the fluid structures produced by the impact of two liquid jets. Dr Jung: “This video shows the evolution of the flow structures generated from the collision of two liquid jets each with a radius...
03.14.2012
Brain cells from skin cells
This is a beautiful image of human brain cells, which can now be grown from adult skin cells. Yichen Shi: "Brain neural stem cells derived from human skin cells: these stem cells express typical marker genes of brain neocortical stem cells, such...
03.02.2012
Fly brain and gut
PhD student Paola Cognigni shows us this beautiful image of a fruit fly’s brain and gut. Paola Cognigni: “This video shows the anatomical and functional connection between the brain and the gut in the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster. This work is carried...
02.27.2012
Mouse tail skin
Here we can see the underside of mouse tail skin. Claire Cox: "The epidermis, which is the outer layer of mammalian skin, is maintained by numerous stem cell populations. The identification of the factors involved in controlling these populations and thus epidermal...
02.27.2012
Skate head
Dr Andrew Gillis shows us an embryonic skate head and explains how the red denticles dotted all over it have very similar properties to human teeth. Dr Gillis: "This is a picture of the head of an embryonic skate (Leucoraja erinacea). A...
02.10.2012
Beetle embryo forming inside an egg
Matt Benton shows us nuclei moving inside a beetle egg as a beetle embryo forms. Matt Benton: “For my PhD I am studying the embryonic development of the beetle, Tribolium castaneum. During development in this beetle, a large number cells must move...
02.08.2012
Stretchable electronics
In this video Dr Ingrid Graz shows us a thin layer of gold on top of rubber. Cracks in the gold allow it to stretch and we can use this for stretchable electronics. Dr Graz: “Imagine a future mobile phone that can...
02.06.2012
Killer T cells attacking cancer
In this video we see a killer T cell of the immune system attacking a cancer cell. Professor Gillian Griffiths: “Cells of the immune system protect the body against pathogens. If cells in our bodies are infected by viruses, or become cancerous,...
02.02.2012
Daisy trick
In this video Dr Beverley Glover explains how a daisy is a collection of tiny flowers grouped together to make it look like a single big flower. Dr Glover: “The flowering plants (Angiosperms) form the dominant vegetation over most of the Earth’s...
02.02.2012
Creating 3D displays with liquid crystals
Dr Tim Wilkinson is combining liquid crystals with nanotechnology to try and create 3D displays which would look like real life. Dr Wilkinson: “Liquid crystal displays are now a commonplace technology from mobile phone displays to wide screen televisions. They...
02.02.2012
Mouse embryo developing over time
In this video, we see a mouse embryo developing. Erica Watson tells us that studying this process helps us better understand human pregnancy. Erica Watson: “The development of a fetus is elegant yet complex. Amazingly, most fetuses undergo a highly orchestrated...
01.23.2012
Fruit fly foot and beetle antenna
In this video Dr Chris Forman shows us his incredible images of a fruit fly foot and beetle antenna. Dr Forman: "Nature has found remarkable ways of using small amounts of energy to combine common elements such as carbon, nitrogen, oxygen...
01.23.2012
How tiny eyes inspire technology
In the first of this microscopic video series, Dr Chris Forman shows us the eye of a beetle and the eye of a fruit fly and explains how they have inspired technology. Dr Forman: “Nature has found remarkable ways of using small...