Photographic Moment

Bone Growth Near a Fracture

This image, from the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Disorders Update (August 29, 2019) “Spotlight on Scientific Imagery,” shows a section of mouse bone near a fracture, with marrow full of red blood cells at the bottom and healthy bone on top of that (tan). New bone (green) and cartilage (dark blue) are in the upper layer. Researchers suggest that chronic inflammation is the reason that bones do not heal as well as we age, as opposed to simply the passage of time.