What do you want to be when you grow up? This is the question every young stem cell must ask itself before it differentiates. But as with any development, outside influences are not to be overlooked.

The stem cell seen here has been cryogenically frozen in a hydrogel matrix, designed to mimic the cell’s native environment in the bone marrow. Researchers are studying the interactions between the cell and its surroundings—and nurturing new understandings of how nature works.

This image appears in the Koch Institute Public Galleries as part of a partnership between the Koch Institute and Wellcome Images, a London-based world leader in the collection of biomedical images. To learn more about Wellcome Images, visit their website at: http://wellcomeimages.org/.