Image of the Day: Tadpole Prism

A confocal tiled image of a Xenopus laevis tadpole, showing the neural tract and brain (green), muscle (red), and cell nuclei (blue). HELEN WILLSEY, UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCOScientists are using tadpoles to study the roles of genes associated with autism spectrum disorder during neurodevelopment. In this Xenopus laevis youngster, the neural system and brain has been stained green (using beta tubulin as a neuronal marker), the muscle stained red (using phalloidin), and cell nuclei stained blue (using DAPI, a blue-fluorescent DNA stain).