New York, NY: Sally, an axolotl salamander is begininng to form a blastema, a cluster of stem cells, on her left arm. Salamanders are one of the few species that can regrow their limbs.Scientists are trying to unlock the genetic rules that govern salamander limb regeneration in the hopes of rewriting human genetic code to tip the balance away from scar tissue formation and in favor of regeneration. This image is from How to Build a Beating Heart.
Andriesvale, Northern Cape, South Africa. San patriarch living in Green Kalahari whose DNA was tested as part of the Genographic Project. The San Bushmen of Southern Africa are universally accepted as the world's oldest genetically distinct population of humans, whose DNA markers connect them to Scientific Eve. The Genographic Project used DNA from the San to help pinpoint some of humanity's earliest movements in Africa. This image is from The Human Family Tree.
Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming: A little pond set against the backdrop of the Grand Teton Mountains may not look like much, but it is the hub of action. Pictured here, a Heron with a sucker. This image is from Dam Beavers.