Medical breakthroughs turned into gorgeous images
Calling the Shots (Morteza Sarmadi, Christina Ta, Robert Langer, Ana Jaklenec/Koch Institute at MIT/)Medical images are crucial to saving lives. Health care experts use X-rays, ultrasounds, and more to uncover secret maladies and confirm that organ systems are up to speed. But what if they need to go deeper, to the cellular level, to dig into a biological mystery? For those cases, scientists turn to microscopy to take sharp, detailed photographs through 10x or 100x lenses. Or they rig their own setups with tools from their labs.The 2020 MIT Koch Institute Image Awards speak to that innovative spirit by highlighting artful, unique points of view in science. The selections aren’t just focused on medicine: Aquatic critters, nanoflowers, and cell-on-cell drama also share the spotlight. But the array of photos on cancer and brain research strike a chord, effectively demonstrating the biggest challenges—and possibilities—in understanding how life works.Consolidating vaccines (above)Offering local...