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Comet Trails
17 March 2014

Comet Trails

The coloured trace snaking across this picture is a 'comet tail'. Not the kind that hurtles through space, but something on a much smaller scale. Using powerful microscopes and computer analysis, an international team of researchers has been spying on the trail left behind a tiny rod-shaped virus, called a baculovirus, as it moves through the sticky goo inside cells. It’s made up of stiff, spiky fibres called actin filaments although, sadly, not rainbow-coloured in real life. These filaments are produced by the virus to help propel it through the stringy gloop inside a cell, represented by the grey tendrils. Similar trails appear behind other types of viruses and bacteria, suggesting that they use the same type of movement as they infect and move through cells. Perhaps these comet tails could point the way towards entirely new approaches for tackling infectious diseases.

Written by Kat Arney

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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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