An image of Fernando García Moreno selected in the FOTCIENCIA20 contest
FOTCIENCIA is a scientific photography contest organized by the CSIC and FECYT, whose objective is to bring science and technology closer to citizens through an artistic and aesthetic vision suggested through scientific images.
An image of Dr. Fernando García Moreno, principal researcher of the Brain Development and Evolution group, has been selected in the 20th edition of the FOTCIENCIA competition.
The Malagasy ground gecko (Paroedura picta) is the working reptile species in the research group. Due to its phylogenetic position, it is a crucial species for understanding the evolutionary novelties presented by current mammalian brains. The embryonic process that gives rise to the gecko brain shows the evolutionary paths that led to the brains of mammals and humans.
The image shows the first stages of dissection of a Malagasy ground gecko embryo just before its natural hatching. This is a species recently incorporated into neuroscience that is demonstrating how valuable knowledge of neuronal and brain diversity is. The image shows how the amniotic sac is first removed, intact, with the embryo packed perfectly inside. These images were taken with a smartphone attached to the eyepieces of a dissection magnifying glass.
More information at: https://www.fotciencia.es/