Fueling breakthroughs in evolutionary biology.

Dr. Nipam Patel helps foster an atmosphere of collaborative discovery at MBL. His focus is on the evolution of arthropod body patterning, regeneration of the germline, and structural coloration in butterflies. Dr. Patel has authored over 130 scientific publications.

Research teams at the Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) achieved the first gene knockouts in various marine species, including crustaceans and cephalopods. They used CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing to knock out a pigmentation gene in squid, removing color from eyes and skin. In crustaceans, they knocked out numerous genes controlling thepatterning of body segments and legs.

The ability to knock out a gene to test its function is an important step toward developing diverse species as genetically tractable organisms for biological research, and critical for understanding the diversity of life on Earth.

Since 1888, the MBL has brought the world’s top scientists together in a quest to better understand biology, biodiversity and the human condition.

• Confocal images (ZEISS LSM 780) of developing embryos of the Longfin Inshore Squid (Doryteuthis pealeii). The embryos sit atop a ball of yolk. At the very top of the embryo, the fins are beginning to grow out of the animal’s mantle. The developing
  arms and tentacles with suckers extend out over the surface of the yolk. Nuclei are in blue, cilia form tufts at the surface of the animal, and the developing nervous system is highlighted by actin staining. (Credit: MBL Embryology Course).

• Late stage embryos and hatchlings of the Longfin Inshore Squid (Doryteuthis pealeii) and the dwarf cuttlefish (Sepia bandensis). Embryos at the beginning and end of the movie were imaged by confocal microscopy (ZEISS LSM 780). The hatchling shown in the middle of the movie displays flashing chromatophores which allow the animal to actively alter its color. (Credit: Maggie Rigney, MBL Embryology Course, and Nipam Patel).

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  Confocal image (ZEISS LSM 780) of a developing embryo of the Longfin Inshore Squid (Doryteuthis pealeii). The embryos sit atop a ball of yolk. At the very top of the embryo, the fins are beginning to grow out of the animal’s mantle. The developing
  arms and tentacles with suckers extend out over the surface of the yolk. Nuclei are in blue, cilia (red) form tufts at the surface of the animal, and the developing nervous system and musculature are highlighted by actin staining (green). (Credit: Juliana Roscito MBL Embryology Course, and Nipam Patel).

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  Dissecting microscope image of late-stage embryos of the Longfin Inshore Squid (Doryteuthis pealeii). The animals have started to swim by pumping water through their siphons. Orange pigment has started to accumulate in their eyes and their chromatophores. (Credit: Nipam Patel).

The Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) in Woods Hole, MA, takes a bold educational approach to scientific discovery that attracts some ofthe most talented students and researchers from around the world.

An avid butterfly collector, MBL Director Nipam Patel invited students to study various butterflies with see-through wings, often called Glasswing Butterflies, to learn how they create this transparency as they develop from the pupal stage to adulthood.

The team, using ZEISS SEM and confocal microscopes, observed lower scale density in the transparent wing areas and nanostructures that reduce glare. These insights shed light on how these butterflies evade predators, and may impact future advances in optics, solar panels and more.

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  Scanning electron microscope (SEM) image of the transparent wing region of a Golden Clearwing butterfly (Godyris duillia). Instead of large scales tiling over the entire wing surface, the scales have been modified into slender bristles, which allow light to pass through the wing. Wing transparency provides an ideal camouflage mechanism for many species of butterflies and moths. (Credit: Jaap van Krugten, Patel Lab at UC Berkeley, and Nipam Patel).

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  Helium Electron Microscope (ZEISS HIM) image of a wing scale from the Buckeye butterfly (Junonia coenia). In blue are the ribs and ridges that cover the scale surface, and in red is the bottom layer, known as a lamina, that creates the structural blue color of these particular scales. (Credit: Rachel Thayer, Patel Lab at UC Berkeley, and Nipam Patel).

• Confocal image (ZEISS LSM 880) of the pupal wing of the Glasswing butterfly (Greta oto). Cell nuclei are in blue. The developing scale surface membrane is in magenta, and the internal actin cytoskeleton is in green. At this stage, the straight bristle scales have grown quite long, while the scales that will form forked bristles look like small triangles. Both types of scales contain straight rods of actin inside. The reduced size of these scales allow light to pass through the wing of the butterfly, allowing it to be transparent. (Credit: Aaron Pomerantz, Patel Lab at UC Berkeley, and Nipam Patel).

• ZEISS LSM 990 expands the limits of confocal imaging with super-resolution down to 90 nm, high-speed volumetric capture, and simultaneous separation of up to 10 fluorescent labels. Explore molecular dynamics, protein interactions, and physiological processes with a platform built for multi-modal, live-cell research.

• ZEISS LSM 910 delivers high-quality confocal imaging with flexible options for advanced research. Capture multi-color, live experiments with spectral precision, gentle super-resolution, and fast 3D dynamics—guided by AI for quick, reproducible results.

• Image large optically cleared specimens in toto – with subcellular resolution. Dedicated optics, sample chambers and holders allow adaption to the refractive index of your chosen clearing method.

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