In this paper, the author reviews recently published videos that depict the roles played by myosin II in contraction of the cortical ring during cellularization and cytokinesis in early development (Royou et al., 2004), by spindle and astral microtubules in regulating the formation of cleavage furrows during the cleavage of primary spermatocytes…

Neutrophils are white blood cells specialized for scavenging cellular debris and consuming infectious microorganisms in a process called "phagocytosis." What seems to make neutrophils especially voracious is the presence of antibodies (or opsonins) coating the surface of foreign cells. Recently, Dewitt and Hallett (2002) examined the role of…

Some impressive video movies have appeared as supplemental material in recent issues of the "Journal of Cell Biology (JCB)", and in this article, the author reviews several of them. In general, the JCB format provides each video clip with its own caption, in addition to any contextual references in the article itself, and a separate descriptive…

This article reviews three "Molecular Biology of the Cell" movies. These include videos on nuclear dynamics and nuclear localization signals, spindle and chromosomal movements during mitosis, and fibroblast motility and substrate adhesiveness. (Contains 5 figures.)

In this article, the author reviews videos from "Molecular Biology of the Cell (MBC)" depicting various aspects of plasma membrane (PM) dynamics, including the targeting of newly synthesized components and the organization of those PM invaginations called caveolae. The papers accompanying these videos describe, respectively, the constitutive…

These days, all introductory biology students know that sliding filaments of myosin and actin cause muscle contraction. Moreover, cell biology students learn that there are more ubiquitous, less specialized forms of cell motility than what is evident in contracting muscle cells. Increasingly, it seems that actin is involved in a wider variety of…

The Center for Education at the National Academies was established on the premise that educators urgently need to harness science to improve the education that they provide to all Americans. This includes not only emphasizing an inquiry approach to science education from kindergarten through college, but also promoting an energetic attempt to use…

Most science students readily understand that following fertilization, a single-celled egg must undergo multiple rounds of cell division to become a multicellular organism. This transformation is so universal among animal embryos that developmental biologists refer to the process with a single term: ''gastrulation.'' During gastrulation, many if…

Discusses small-group apprenticeships (SGAs) as a method for introducing cell culture techniques to high school participants. Teaches cell culture practices and introduces advance imaging techniques to solve various biomedical engineering problems. Clarifies and illuminates the value of small-group laboratory apprenticeships. (Author/KHR)

This column, "From the National Academies," was Bruce Alberts' idea, one of so many for improving education. As a long-standing member of the American Society for Cell Biology, the namesake for the prize that is awarded annually to cell biologists for excellence in science education, and one of the founding editors of this journal, Alberts…

Since the work of Watson and Crick in the mid-1950s, the science of genetics has become increasingly molecular. The development of recombinant DNA technologies by the agricultural and pharmaceutical industries led to the introduction of genetically modified organisms (GMOs). By the end of the twentieth century, reports of animal cloning and recent…

Over the past year, the National Academies have established a Board on Science Education (BOSE). This marks a major restructuring of the portion of the National Research Council (NRC) that deals with science education. As the first chair of BOSE, the author describes in this column the new structure and advantages of this board and discusses some…

This work describes the project for an advanced undergraduate laboratory course in cell and molecular biology. One objective of the course is to teach students a variety of cellular and molecular techniques while conducting original research. A second objective is to provide instruction in science writing and data presentation by requiring…

"Cell Biology Education" calls attention each quarter to several Web sites of educational interest to the biology community. The Internet provides access to an enormous array of potential teaching materials. In this article, the authors describe one approach for using the World Wide Web to develop a new college biology laboratory exercise. As a…

Cinemicrography--the capture of moving cellular sequences through the microscope--has been influential in revealing the dynamic nature of cellular behavior. One of the more dramatic cellular events is mitosis, the division of sister chromatids into two daughter cells. Mitosis has been extensively studied in a variety of organisms, both…