Images Dated 3rd June 2004

Mitochondrial DNA

Mitochondrial DNA. Computer artwork of the genetic material (DNA, deoxyribonucleic acid) found in the cell structures called mitochondria. Mitochondrial DNA is circular in shape, more like a bacterial plasmid than the spiral shape of human DNA. It has the four nucleotide bases common to all DNA, and these bases (coloured) pair up to hold the strands together. Mitochondria drive the metabolism of a cell, allowing the reactions that provide energy for the cell. Because they have their own DNA, it is thought that they were once independent micro- organisms that were incorporated into cells in the early evolution of life. Most mitochondrial DNA is inherited from the mother

© PASIEKA/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY

Face biometrics

Face biometrics. Computer artwork of lines marking the contours (shape) of a human face. This kind of data could be obtained by scanning faces, and then stored in databases and used to identify people, a process known as biometric identification. Other forms of biometrics include eye scans and the use of fingerprints

© PASIEKA/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY

Fertility research

Fertility research. Conceptual computer artwork of a human egg cell and sperm cells overlaid with the banding pattern of a DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) autoradiogram. This could represent research into the mechanisms of fertilisation, the process where one of the male sperm cells fuses its DNA (genetic material) with that of the female egg cell. The image could also represent research into inherited disease, and using artificial fertilisation (like IVF) to screen out damaged or undesirable genes. The bands of the autoradiogram represent the sequence of the nucleotide bases that form the genetic code found in DNA, and which contains the instructions for forming a new human

© PASIEKA/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY