This is a microscopic image of a neuron receiving excitatory contacts in the nervous system. It was taken by Dr. Kieran Boyle from the University of Glasgow in the United Kingdom. The magnification is 63x and the technique is fluorescence and confocal. The picture as labeled as a “hippocampal neuron”, which immediately raised the question of: what is a hippocampal neuron? In general, I found that it is a major component in the brains of vertebrates. It is important for short-term and long-term memory. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hippocampus) Other questions that arose included: what kind of contact is it receiving? Why does this happen anyway? What does this have to do with us as humans?