09 February 2023
Tongue Twisters
Biofilms are thriving microscopic communities – hordes of microbes communicating, trading chemicals, moving and growing stronger together because of their diverse makeup. Here coloured stains highlight different species of bacteria as they colonise an epithelial cell from a human tongue. Pictured under a high-powered microscope, it looks surprisingly like a tongue itself, but is around 10,000 times smaller. Our mouths are home to upwards of 700 types of bacteria, and this oral microflora is influenced by what we eat as well as our general oral health. Learning more about biofilms will help doctors and dentists improve oral medicine, but also teach us general principles about how bacteria live side by side, with a view to breaking up certain types of dangerous biofilms in hospitals and public spaces.
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What is BPoD?
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.
BPoD is also available in Catalan at www.bpod.cat with translations by the University of Valencia.