Why would anyone study a cell like this? Biologists study cells to understand how they function. All living things are made up of cells. We study cell function to see how various conditions, drugs, and mutations affect cell behavior. This high-resolution image is of a single mammalian cell from mouse embryonic fibroblasts. It looks like an eye with a blue pupil. The blue core is the cell nucleus. Stained in green are actin filaments, while the red threads are the microtubules. An important tool for cell biologists is the microscope. Without it, we would not be able to observe cells or their components. This "eye-shaped" cell was seen through the eyes of Leica SP8, a powerful confocal microscope available to Illinois State University researchers.