Human Chromosomes

Human Chromosomes
Denise Sheer

When cells divide, their chromosomes (the individual molecules of DNA) change shape several times. One of those times is called metaphase. Here you can see metaphase chromosomes alongside two nuclei prepared from human white blood cells, so you can see what chromosomes look like when packed into the nucleus. The chromosomes have been dyed each with different fluorescent probes with a technique called spectral karyotyping, which lets us clearly see any abnormalities.