12 August 2012
Getting Connected
Our bodies are held together by connective tissue - the tough, fibrous material that links together our flesh and bones. The most important ingredient of this biological ‘glue’ is collagen, which makes up around a quarter of all the protein in our entire body. Long, stringy collagen fibres – each less than a thousandth of the thickness of a human hair – bundle together like the strands of a rope to create sturdy tendons and ligaments. Collagen is also a vital component of skin, cartilage, bone and more. These collagen fibres were removed from someone’s knee during a type of keyhole surgery known as arthroscopy and captured using a scanning electron microscope, which uses tiny beams of electrons to build up delicate three-dimensional images. Subtle colours have been added afterwards; real-life collagen looks less colourful, though no less beautiful.
Written by
- Anne Weston, London Research Institute, Cancer Research UK
- Wellcome Image Award Winner 2012
- Originally published under Creative Commons (CC-BY-NC-ND)
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BPoD stands for Biomedical Picture of the Day. Managed by the MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences until Jul 2023, it is now run independently by a dedicated team of scientists and writers. The website aims to engage everyone, young and old, in the wonders of biology, and its influence on medicine. The ever-growing archive of more than 4000 research images documents over a decade of progress. Explore the collection and see what you discover. Images are kindly provided for inclusion on this website through the generosity of scientists across the globe.
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