The snapshots on the playing cards expose unexpected scenes from the life of the model nematodes, Caenorhabditis elegans. Microscopy images were captured and arranged for the purpose of the “EMBO Cover Contest 2012”.

Microscopy images capture scenes from the daily life of the nematode, Caenorhabditis elegans. Top row, acrobatic performances; second row, moments of infinite passion; third row, tango steps; fourth row, embrace trap; bottom row, motherly love. Photographs designed for the “EMBO Cover Contest 2012”. This cover art was selected by “Worm Breeder’s Gazette” for the back cover of its Volume 19, July 2012. http://www.wormbook.org/wbg/

The fields of the chessboard represent the beetle Tribolium and its juvenile hormone in the ligand-binding pocket of the Methoprene-tolerant (Met) protein. Recent work by the Czech scientist Marek Jindra and his international team has established Met as the long-sought receptor of the insect juvenile hormone. The cartoon was designed for the original publication and for the “EMBO Cover Contest 2012”. See the publication:Charles JP, Iwema T, Epa VC, Takaki K, Rynes

The Methoprene-tolerant (Met) protein has finally emerged as the long-sought receptor of the insect juvenile hormone (JH) through a recent study by the Czech scientist Marek Jindra and his international team. The cartoon represents the beetle Tribolium along with a model structure of the hormone-binding pocket of Met. The design by Martina Hajduskova is based on the original Czech memory game “pexeso”, in which one wins by disclosing pairs of cards with

Worms on the Sun A brightfield microscopy image reveals the simple beauty of the model nematodes, Caenorhabditis elegans, gracefully sliding on their culture dish. The photograph was colorized in Adobe Photoshop and designed for the “EMBO Cover Contest 2012”. The Worm Planet A brightfield microscopy image of the model nematodes, Caenorhabditis elegans, reminds of Arrakis – the planet inhabited by giant sandworms as created by Frank Herbert in his famous novel Dune. The

Cover design for the article “Cell plasticity in Caenorhabditis elegans: From induced to natural cell reprogramming” published in the journal Genesis. Transdifferentiation is the direct cell reprogramming of a differentiated cell into another specialized cell type. In the worm Caenorhabditis elegans, an epithelial-to-neuronal transdifferentiation (the “Reset button”) occurs naturally in vivo. The illustration depicting cell fate reprogramming has been chosen by the journal Genesis for its cover on the January issue in 2012. See the journal