Game: Spot the difference

   

With the Tokyo Olympics just around the corner, here is our challenge for our fellow Biologists: Can you find the differences between these two pictures?

If so, congratulations! You are one step closer to being a pro histopathologist (well done…my young padawan…). These pictures are the micrographs taken from our samples. Most of the samples have been processed by the time I am writing this post, with only few left to go. And just like the good old (much loved?) classic game of spot the difference, the instruction is basically the same with the histopathological observation: try to spot anything that’s a bit different from lots (and I meant A LOT!) of tissue sections. So, if you are very observant, have decent vision, and can differentiate mussels’ ova from pomegranate pulp (read: possess some good biological background), please knock on my office door. You may be of use to us!

During this microscopic observation, we examine if pathologies are present in the gonad tissue of each mussel individual. The histopathological condition is then recorded and the micrograph corresponding to the condition is taken with a camera attached to the microscope.

Also, this month I am doing the optimization for the ELISA analysis and started the molecular techniques with RNA extraction. We will give you a sneak peek of the data and some updates regarding ELISA and molecular analyses next month. Maybe I will also throw in some more micrographs for the lucky winner of this month’s game 😉

Stay tuned!