Life Cycle Imaging: Carbon Nano‐onions for Imaging the Life Cycle of Drosophila Melanogaster (Small 22/2011)

The image colorfully shows some ofthe developmental phases of Drosophila melanogaster, which haveorally ingested water-soluble carbonnano-onions. The nano-onions aresynthesized from wood waste, and theyare used to image the entire life cycle of this species–from egg to adulthood–without any toxic effect. The fluorescent organisims excrete the fluorescing material, and upon removal of the nanoparticles from their diet, they revert to their normal form demonstrating the reversibility of this process. This nontoxic fluorescent probe would be a viable alternative to barium meal in X-ray imaging.