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Image courtesy Caltech/SSI/NASA
A steeply inclined orbit gives NASA’s Cassini spacecraft a spectacular view ofSaturn’s rings, composed of ice and rock.

Asperatus Cloud, Iowa
Photograph courtesy Jane Wiggins
“These choppy clouds over Cedar Rapids, Iowa, in an undated picture could be examples of the first new type of cloud to be recognized since 1951.”

Asperatus Cloud, New Zealand
Photograph courtesy Merrick Davies
An “asperatus” cloud rolls over New Zealand’s South Island

p1ssblog:

By Luca Norbiato

malformalady:

Congenital ectropion uveae in a patient with neurofibromatosis. The dark, irregular lesion extends onto the surface of the iris from the pupil.

thingsorganizedneatly:

Bones of a sparrow, by Dennis Spelt

biocanvas:

Actin filaments constructed into circular shapes using micropatterened glass coverslips etched with deep UV lithography.
Image by Anne-Cécile Reymann and Manuel Théry, iRTSV.
THIS WEEK’S QUESTION!
Every Sunday, a question will be asked about one of the images from this past week. Be the first to answer correctly, and your blog will be promoted on Monday’s image post and Biocanvas’s main site!

After being outside without adequate sun protection, you notice your skin begins to peel after a few days. You later learn that your exposed, peeling skin is actually undergoing apoptosis, the programmed death of cells.
What is the benefit of your cells “committing suicide” after being exposed to prolonged sunlight?
Answer: UV radiation from sunlight can damage cellular DNA beyond repair. These cells are then induced to undergo apoptosis to prevent them from becoming potentially cancerous.

biocanvas:

Early embryos from the fruit fly, Drososphila melanogaster, depicting mRNAs in blue and nuclei in red as visualized with fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) technology.
Image by Eric Lécuyer and Henry Krause.
Congratulations, riotglitterdust, for being the first to correctly answer this week’s question! Make sure to check out their blog!

malformalady:

Essential iris atrophy is a very rare, progressive disorder of the eye characterized by a pupil that is out of place and/or distorted, areas of degeneration on the iris (atrophy), and/or holes in the iris. This disorder most frequently affects only one eye and develops slowly over time.