Axon Ax-off
Like trees growing in the wild, the branches or axons of our nerve cells reach out as they develop. In the optic tract of a zebrafish, some branches of these retinal ganglion cells are ‘pruned’ to guide the accurate shape of circuits behind its eyes. Like snipping at a bonsai tree (although about 1000 times smaller), cells on one side of the tract (highlighted in red) send signals that help to cut off stray axons of cells on the other side (blue), leaving grouped or 'sorted' neurons behind (seen on the right). Researchers using CRISPR/Cas9 technology block the activity of ones of the genes involved, gpc3, leaving the optic tract in a disorganised unpruned state (left and middle). Insight into this molecular tree surgery might influence therapies for the human brain, which also uses a form of gpc3 – offering a helping hand in shaping neural circuits that develop errant branches.
Written by John Ankers
Image from work by Olivia Spead, Trevor Moreland and Cory J. Weaver, and colleagues
Department of Biological Sciences, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, USA
Image originally published with a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
Published in Cell Reports, February 2023
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okay so not many people explore this often but i think so hard about the softer side of mizu like when she was married to m*kio (🤢). Yes, we get a lot of the butch lesbian mizu content where shes the tough gf and all, but what about with a gf just calling mizu pretty!!! calling her beautiful and holding her face!!! telling her that shes the most gorgeous woman!!! MIZU DESERVES SOME SOFT COMPLIMENTS TOO ABOUT HER BEAUTY BC SHE IS GORGEOUS ! ! ! 😭❤️
fluff modern!mizu x reader headcannons
tags: fluff, mizu x reader, modern au, cute moments, pretty mizu, compliments, kissing, kisses on the cheek, gifting, flower bouquets, safe relationship, mizu deserves this :(
a/n: FUCK M*K*O !! she is my gorgeous beautiful girl!! ok school isn’t that bad but i do have a weekend trip so i'll be lowk MIA :(
modern!mizu tries to put up a tough front
but with you, the barrier breaks down and she feels comfortable exploring new aspects of herself
she's never felt that kind of safety
she barely felt it with m*k*o after learning his true nature
as time passes by with u, she begins to bring her guard down
compliment modern!mizu and she immediately doesn't know what to do or what to believe
earlier on in ur relationship, u helped her get dressed for a sports-day after party held by the school
in celebration of a well balanced and eventful day, there was a formal event for athletes and their plus ones
and mizu didn't know how to present herself
yeah she had the clothes
but she had trouble styling it
u came over to fix her clothes in ur beautiful blue dress that totally didn't compliment her eyes
mizu showered u with compliments, saying how her "pretty girl was so dressed up beautifully"
or calling u a "beautiful sight"
without thinking, u called her "my beautiful girl" as u fixed her hair
she immediately went quiet
"Mizu?", you questioned. She had gone silent after your compliment. "Did I say something wrong? I'm so sorry, I'll just-"
You look up to find her, her mouth agape. Not out of disgust. Instead, Mizu whiplashed by your words, her face flaring red. Only three words and she's suddenly out of commission.
yeah, mizu would def short circuit
and she did for a brief moment
until she snapped and kissed u
and totally not ruin ur makeup
modern!mizu loves it when u cup her face while y'all kissing or make out
mizu mainly is the one talking and touching during heated moments but even the soft feeling of her significant other’s touch makes her stomach fill with butterflies
or if ur just chilling in bed and u start tracing her face
externally, she’s relaxing
internally, she’s mesmerized by ur touch
when u trace around her eyes and lips and play w her hair, she has never felt such softness and safety
or even if u cup her face to give her a kiss on the cheek before u leave for work or class
it makes her feel secure and happy
modern!mizu loves being called pretty
she still likes dressing more masc but that doesnt mean she isnt pretty
especially if u compliment her eyes
or her strangely healthy hair
the fact that its long and still shiny
sometimes u pray u had her hair genes bc wtf this isnt fair
“Your hair is so pretty, it’s not fair.”, you say as you play with Mizu’s hair. It was late at night and while she was busy figuring out calculations for a project, you were busy relaxing.
She hummed in acknowledgement. With her back still turned, you ran your hair through her scalp, feeling the silky texture of her raven hair.
Normally, Mizu would just tie her hair up to focus late at night. Tonight would be a little different since you were still up.
As your hands sectioned continued to run through her hair, Mizu relaxed. In a calm state, she solved the equations with ease, listening to the faint lofi studying music guide her thoughts into the night.
Time passed yet Mizu never felt it until she realized your hands had slowed down. She turned back to see you, eyes heavy and ready to doze off.
She looked back at her nearly completed homework. One problem couldn’t hurt in the morning.
Mizu shut off the desk lamp and silently collected her things in a neat pile. She rests your head on your pillows and pull the covers on top of you. With one foot into dreamland, Mizu gives you a kiss on your forehead.
modern!mizu’s favorite places to get kissed are her cheeks
she loves any kisses from u tbh
whenever u would give a goodbye kiss, she always forgets ab the “final” kiss
it’s so simple yet so endearing
when u guys first started dating, u were a little hesitant on ending the first few dates with a kiss
so u choose a simple peck on her cheek instead
u could see blush form on her cheeks afterwards
and they still flush to this day
after mizu went back to her place after the date, she would not stop smiling
it lowkey threw off ringo for a while
modern!mizu enjoys fresh flowers
it seems small but it’s a pretty reminder of ur love
she never got flowers as a gift in her previous relationship so she wasn’t use to these gifts
(yeah fuck u m*k*o)
it makes her heart warm every time she sees the vase on her desk
preferably, she likes peonies bc of how fluffy and full they bloom
but if u bring a new bouquet, she’ll gladly clean and take care of it
u insist that u will do it
but once u saw her carefully pluck and cut the bouquet, u let mizu have her way
she just looks so joyful getting new flowers to take care of
when the flowers start to fully bloom, mizu likes to check and make sure they have enough water
basically she gives them the love and care they need
(im crying sobbing while writing this)
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