The world as seen through a scanning electron microscope is a beautiful and fascinating place. These are mitochondria inside a cell: notice that some of the mitochondria are cut open and their internal structure is visible. The concertina-like folds inside them are protein membranes inside the mitochondrial wall called cristae. The mitochondria are shown embedded in endoplasmic reticulum.
That yellow oxide colour is just a base layer. In the next post I'l show the final paint effect, which will involve a lot of magenta and Egyptian violet. The yellow oxide contrasts with these and will highlight the interior structure of the mitochondria.
For comparison, this is a SEM photo of mitochondria inside the endoplasmic reticulum:
It took me a while to get the mitochondria looking how I wanted them to. On the left here is my first attempt, and on the right is a second, more successful attempt. I wanted a feathery effect for the cristae so they would contrast with the crisper edges of the endplasmic reticulum folds.
That yellow oxide colour is just a base layer. In the next post I'l show the final paint effect, which will involve a lot of magenta and Egyptian violet. The yellow oxide contrasts with these and will highlight the interior structure of the mitochondria.
For comparison, this is a SEM photo of mitochondria inside the endoplasmic reticulum:
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| Image from Woods Lab |
It took me a while to get the mitochondria looking how I wanted them to. On the left here is my first attempt, and on the right is a second, more successful attempt. I wanted a feathery effect for the cristae so they would contrast with the crisper edges of the endplasmic reticulum folds.
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