Little Insights

Trying to flesh out the story of how we develop, scientists find clues in surprising places. Mice are useful model organisms, so too are fruit flies and here we look deep into the eye of a tiny wasp (Megaphragma viggianii). The wasp itself is only ~0.2mm long – its eyes contain just 478 cells. Yet a sensitive technique called volume electron microscopy picks out individual cells in artificial colours, revealing complex patterns at the back of the eye. The research captures the first 3D reconstruction of an insect eye. Comparing arrangements of cells like photoreceptors with larger insects may yield clues to how sensory organs take shape on different scales, and, in turn, how patterns of related cells may form in the human eye during development.

Written by John Ankers

John Ankers

Writer

A former researcher in systems biology, John is now an online biology tutor and professional coach supporting the wellbeing of scientists and NHS professionals. He's writing, too, of course.

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• Image from work by Anastasia A Makarova and colleagues
• Department of Entomology, Faculty of Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia
• Image originally published with a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
• Published in eLife (reviewed preprint), January 2025