Content by The Scientist

Research on the human microbiome is booming, and scientists have moved from simply taking stock of gut flora to understanding the influence of microbes throughout the body.

Marine parchment worms (Chaetopterus sp.), pictured here in a full body fluorescent image, secrete a luminescent blue mucus that is surprisingly stable at temperatures ranging from –75ºC to 250ºC.

An elbow orchid (Arthrochilus latipes) tricks male wasps into pollinating its flowers by mimicking the pheromones of the female wasp.

The giant clam, Tridacna maxima, and its photosynthetic symbiont algae live in sunny patches of coral reef.

A malaria-bearing mosquito (Anopheles gambiae) is injected with hemolymph, the circulatory fluid in arthropods, during a research study.

Nomadic army ants (Eciton hamatum) build living nests and bridges with their bodies.

Tattoos are made permanent by a long-lived immune reaction, as immune cells that rush to heal the needle's marks absorb pigment particles, and remain trapped under the skin.

Sensory neurons (in red) and motor axons (in green) in a developing mouse embryo converge to form spinal nerves.

Polychaete worms like this one, Myrianida pachycera, are found throughout the world's oceans, from the coldest abysses to searing hydrothermal vents.

The Wyoming toad (Bufo baxteri) is one of the most endangered amphibians in North America, now found only in captivity and one protected lake refuge.

Intestinal parasite Giardia lamblia latches on to a carpet of human intestinal cells in culture.

Nuclei in the wing imaginal disc of a fruit fly embryo respond to different developmental regulators to turn into wings.

An ant (Mrymica sp.) carries its larva; young are often carried to safety, food, or different parts of a nest in this manner.

Blooms of algae such as this marine plankton (Ornithocercus splendicus), recovered from the Ionian Sea, cause harmful red tides.

Check back for the results in November!