In 1609 Galileo Galilei turned his gaze, magnified twentyfold by lenses of Dutch design, toward the heavens, touching off a revolution in human thought. A decade later those same lenses delivered the possibility of a second revolution, when Galileo discovered that by inverting their order he could magnify the very small.
Before You Go
Cell Biology In Living Color
Skin Cell(01 of14)
Cancerous skin cell in 'metaphase,' a stage of cell division. DNA is in blue.*This image won the GE Healthcare Life Sciences 2012 Imaging Competition and has the honor of being displayed in Times Square in New York City on an electronic billboard. (credit:Jane Stout, <a href="http://www.gereports.com/" target="_blank" role="link" class=" js-entry-link cet-external-link" data-vars-item-name=" GE Reports" data-vars-item-type="text" data-vars-unit-name="5baeca93e4b014374e2f896b" data-vars-unit-type="buzz_body" data-vars-target-content-id="http://www.gereports.com/" data-vars-target-content-type="url" data-vars-type="web_external_link" data-vars-subunit-name="before_you_go_slideshow" data-vars-subunit-type="component" data-vars-position-in-subunit="13" data-vars-position-in-unit="14"> GE Reports</a>)
Cervical Cells(02 of14)
Cancerous cervical cells in 'prometaphase,' one of the beginning stages of cell division. DNA-containing chromosomes stained in blue.*Contest winner! (credit:Markus Posch, <a href="http://www.gereports.com/" target="_blank" role="link" class=" js-entry-link cet-external-link" data-vars-item-name=" GE Reports" data-vars-item-type="text" data-vars-unit-name="5baeca93e4b014374e2f896b" data-vars-unit-type="buzz_body" data-vars-target-content-id="http://www.gereports.com/" data-vars-target-content-type="url" data-vars-type="web_external_link" data-vars-subunit-name="before_you_go_slideshow" data-vars-subunit-type="component" data-vars-position-in-subunit="12" data-vars-position-in-unit="13"> GE Reports</a>)
Ovary Cell(03 of14)
Fly's cancerous ovary cell. DNA shown in blue. (credit:Timothy Weil, <a href="http://www.gereports.com/" target="_blank" role="link" class=" js-entry-link cet-external-link" data-vars-item-name=" GE Reports" data-vars-item-type="text" data-vars-unit-name="5baeca93e4b014374e2f896b" data-vars-unit-type="buzz_body" data-vars-target-content-id="http://www.gereports.com/" data-vars-target-content-type="url" data-vars-type="web_external_link" data-vars-subunit-name="before_you_go_slideshow" data-vars-subunit-type="component" data-vars-position-in-subunit="11" data-vars-position-in-unit="12"> GE Reports</a>)
Cervical Cell(04 of14)
Cancerous cervical cell in interphase, another stage of cell division. DNA pictured in blue. (credit:Steffen Lawo, <a href="http://www.gereports.com/" target="_blank" role="link" class=" js-entry-link cet-external-link" data-vars-item-name=" GE Reports" data-vars-item-type="text" data-vars-unit-name="5baeca93e4b014374e2f896b" data-vars-unit-type="buzz_body" data-vars-target-content-id="http://www.gereports.com/" data-vars-target-content-type="url" data-vars-type="web_external_link" data-vars-subunit-name="before_you_go_slideshow" data-vars-subunit-type="component" data-vars-position-in-subunit="10" data-vars-position-in-unit="11"> GE Reports</a>)
Intestinal Cells(05 of14)
Abnormal intestinal lining cells depicted here. (credit:Matthew Tyska, <a href="http://www.gereports.com/" target="_blank" role="link" class=" js-entry-link cet-external-link" data-vars-item-name=" GE Reports" data-vars-item-type="text" data-vars-unit-name="5baeca93e4b014374e2f896b" data-vars-unit-type="buzz_body" data-vars-target-content-id="http://www.gereports.com/" data-vars-target-content-type="url" data-vars-type="web_external_link" data-vars-subunit-name="before_you_go_slideshow" data-vars-subunit-type="component" data-vars-position-in-subunit="9" data-vars-position-in-unit="10"> GE Reports</a>)
Kidney Cell(06 of14)
Kidney lining cell's 'mitotic spindle,' a structure that guides separation of DNA-containing chromosomes during cell division. (credit:Keith DeLuca, <a href="http://www.gereports.com/" target="_blank" role="link" class=" js-entry-link cet-external-link" data-vars-item-name=" GE Reports" data-vars-item-type="text" data-vars-unit-name="5baeca93e4b014374e2f896b" data-vars-unit-type="buzz_body" data-vars-target-content-id="http://www.gereports.com/" data-vars-target-content-type="url" data-vars-type="web_external_link" data-vars-subunit-name="before_you_go_slideshow" data-vars-subunit-type="component" data-vars-position-in-subunit="8" data-vars-position-in-unit="9"> GE Reports</a>)
Skin Cells(07 of14)
Two skin cells about to separate. DNA is pictured in blue. (credit:Graham Wright, <a href="http://www.gereports.com/" target="_blank" role="link" class=" js-entry-link cet-external-link" data-vars-item-name=" GE Reports" data-vars-item-type="text" data-vars-unit-name="5baeca93e4b014374e2f896b" data-vars-unit-type="buzz_body" data-vars-target-content-id="http://www.gereports.com/" data-vars-target-content-type="url" data-vars-type="web_external_link" data-vars-subunit-name="before_you_go_slideshow" data-vars-subunit-type="component" data-vars-position-in-subunit="7" data-vars-position-in-unit="8"> GE Reports</a>)
Inner Ear Cells(08 of14)
Sound-detecting sensory cells of the inner ear. (credit:Nicolas Grillet, <a href="http://www.gereports.com/" target="_blank" role="link" class=" js-entry-link cet-external-link" data-vars-item-name=" GE Reports" data-vars-item-type="text" data-vars-unit-name="5baeca93e4b014374e2f896b" data-vars-unit-type="buzz_body" data-vars-target-content-id="http://www.gereports.com/" data-vars-target-content-type="url" data-vars-type="web_external_link" data-vars-subunit-name="before_you_go_slideshow" data-vars-subunit-type="component" data-vars-position-in-subunit="6" data-vars-position-in-unit="7"> GE Reports</a>)
Cervical Cell(09 of14)
Another cancerous cervical cell during cell division. DNA is in blue. (credit:Steffen Lawo, <a href="http://www.gereports.com/" target="_blank" role="link" class=" js-entry-link cet-external-link" data-vars-item-name=" GE Reports" data-vars-item-type="text" data-vars-unit-name="5baeca93e4b014374e2f896b" data-vars-unit-type="buzz_body" data-vars-target-content-id="http://www.gereports.com/" data-vars-target-content-type="url" data-vars-type="web_external_link" data-vars-subunit-name="before_you_go_slideshow" data-vars-subunit-type="component" data-vars-position-in-subunit="5" data-vars-position-in-unit="6"> GE Reports</a>)
Inner Ear Cells(10 of14)
Motion detecting sensory cells of the inner ear. (credit:Nicolas Grillet, <a href="http://www.gereports.com/" target="_blank" role="link" class=" js-entry-link cet-external-link" data-vars-item-name=" GE Reports" data-vars-item-type="text" data-vars-unit-name="5baeca93e4b014374e2f896b" data-vars-unit-type="buzz_body" data-vars-target-content-id="http://www.gereports.com/" data-vars-target-content-type="url" data-vars-type="web_external_link" data-vars-subunit-name="before_you_go_slideshow" data-vars-subunit-type="component" data-vars-position-in-subunit="4" data-vars-position-in-unit="5"> GE Reports</a>)
White Blood Cells(11 of14)
Tissue full of white blood cells from HIV patient. Cells in red, connective tissue in green, and DNA-filled cell nuclei in blue. (credit:Ann Carias, <a href="http://www.gereports.com/" target="_blank" role="link" class=" js-entry-link cet-external-link" data-vars-item-name=" GE Reports" data-vars-item-type="text" data-vars-unit-name="5baeca93e4b014374e2f896b" data-vars-unit-type="buzz_body" data-vars-target-content-id="http://www.gereports.com/" data-vars-target-content-type="url" data-vars-type="web_external_link" data-vars-subunit-name="before_you_go_slideshow" data-vars-subunit-type="component" data-vars-position-in-subunit="3" data-vars-position-in-unit="4"> GE Reports</a>)
Sperm Cell Precursor(12 of14)
Spermatocyte (precursor to sperm cell) in its form of cell division, called meiosis. (credit:Graham Wright, <a href="http://www.gereports.com/" target="_blank" role="link" class=" js-entry-link cet-external-link" data-vars-item-name=" GE Reports" data-vars-item-type="text" data-vars-unit-name="5baeca93e4b014374e2f896b" data-vars-unit-type="buzz_body" data-vars-target-content-id="http://www.gereports.com/" data-vars-target-content-type="url" data-vars-type="web_external_link" data-vars-subunit-name="before_you_go_slideshow" data-vars-subunit-type="component" data-vars-position-in-subunit="2" data-vars-position-in-unit="3"> GE Reports</a>)
Yeast Cells(13 of14)
Yeast cells during cell fusion. (credit:Marc Green, <a href="http://www.gereports.com/" target="_blank" role="link" class=" js-entry-link cet-external-link" data-vars-item-name=" GE Reports" data-vars-item-type="text" data-vars-unit-name="5baeca93e4b014374e2f896b" data-vars-unit-type="buzz_body" data-vars-target-content-id="http://www.gereports.com/" data-vars-target-content-type="url" data-vars-type="web_external_link" data-vars-subunit-name="before_you_go_slideshow" data-vars-subunit-type="component" data-vars-position-in-subunit="1" data-vars-position-in-unit="2"> GE Reports</a>)
Toe Skin Cells(14 of14)
Toe skin cell tissue with DNA in blue. (credit:Nicolas Grillet, <a href="http://www.gereports.com/" target="_blank" role="link" class=" js-entry-link cet-external-link" data-vars-item-name=" GE Reports" data-vars-item-type="text" data-vars-unit-name="5baeca93e4b014374e2f896b" data-vars-unit-type="buzz_body" data-vars-target-content-id="http://www.gereports.com/" data-vars-target-content-type="url" data-vars-type="web_external_link" data-vars-subunit-name="before_you_go_slideshow" data-vars-subunit-type="component" data-vars-position-in-subunit="0" data-vars-position-in-unit="1"> GE Reports</a>)