The glow of science

From gaseous jets shooting out the center of supermassive black holes to fluorescent tags elucidating the intricacies of the brain, science has a close relationship with light. As a multi-purpose tool, light can reveal hidden functions, magnify areas of interest, provide a means of measurement and trigger activity. Often the union of light and science also gives us beautiful images, which, to the untrained eye, can appear strange, magical - and downright mysterious. Below are glowing works of art that each represent different areas of research from Stanford University. But what exactly are we looking at? What is it? Image credit: Anne Vatén - A view through a microscope of a small flowering plant - specifically, a young, wild-type  Arabidopsis thaliana seedling - with fluorescent protein marking the plasma membrane, as seen through a microscope. More on the science behind this image in the story  "Hormones help plants adjust their ventilation” . Image credit: Anne Vatén A view through a microscope of a small flowering plant - specifically, a young, wild-type  Arabidopsis thaliana seedling - with fluorescent protein marking the plasma membrane, as seen through a microscope.