10 simple rules to create a serious game, illustrated with examples from structural biology

Serious scientific games are games whose purpose is not only fun. In the field of science, the serious goals include crucial activities for scientists: outreach, teaching and research. The number of serious games is increasing rapidly, in particular citizen science games, games that allow people to produce and/or analyze scientific data. Interestingly, it is possible to build a set of rules providing a guideline to create or improve serious games. We present arguments gathered from our own experience ( Phylo , DocMolecules , HiRE-RNA contest and Pangu) as well as examples from the growing literature on scientific serious games

Imaging Plastids in 2D and 3D: Confocal and Electron Microscopy.

International audienceInternal chloroplast structures present complex and various characteristics, which are still largely undetermined due to insufficient imaging investigation. Information on chloroplast morphology has traditionally been collected using light microscopy (LM), confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) techniques. However, recent technological progresses in the field of microscopy have made it possible to visualize the internal structure of chloroplast in far greater detail and in 3D. Here we recapitulate protocols to visualize chloroplasts from Arabidopsis leaves and Phaeodactylum tricornutum cells with confocal and transmission electron microscopy together with a new technique using a focused ion beam-scanning electron microscope (FIB-SEM) allowing for 3D imaging