I have always been fascinated by the artistry of mother nature – from the vastness of blue whales in the ocean to the microscopic intricacies of single cells, the stories of evolution, adaptation, and the sheer drive to survive are everywhere. From time to time, we come across something so unexpectedly beautiful in our observations that it’s so mesmerizing to watch and makes us feel like we’ve entered the dream of Alice in Wonderland.
We recently stumbled upon what we’ve lovingly dubbed the “brain metastasis sperm.” While studying brain metastasis using a mouse model and a tumor line with so-called “color-switch” DNA constructs, we spotted a brain metastasis tumor that was stuck in the brain ventricle space and looked like a sperm cell! It had that distinctive long, slender tail and an oval head. You might be wondering, “Why does a tumor in the brain look like a sperm?” Well, that’s the beauty of biology. Nature has a way of repeating its patterns, from the spirals of galaxies far away to the spirals in our DNA, and to the spiral “tails” of a brain tumor.
While the elegance of this biological structure was breathtaking, this unique form isn’t just about its appearance, though. The intricate internal structures of the tumor resembled the complex, specialized compartments and cell-cell coordination. Nature seems to use its artistry to tell us about the intricate biology of how tumor cells manage to adapt and navigate the extracellular tumor microenvironment, which in turn, sculpted its form.
The moment of appreciation of the beauty of biology reminds us how we are privileged to be able to dive into nature’s artistry at the cellular level. Biology never ceases to amaze me with its ability to resolve into unintentional and accidental beauty.