Reproductive images: the autonomous cell

New medical imaging technologies enable production of photos of human cells that are magnified to make them visible to the eye. Such cellular images have gained aesthetic as well as dramatic appeal, as they have moved out of the laboratories and become available for the public. At this stage, they are refashioned to reveal matters more clearly and pedagogically. Organic matter that might be confusing to the audience is removed and colours added to distinguish various aspects – but despite such manipulations, the result appears as images of ‘real’ human cells, making them different from drawings and models. The webpage of a Norwegian governmental organization for information on biotechnology and bioethics displays images of egg and sperm cells related to techniques of assisted reproduction. Such images contribute to a process of entification, whereby human cells gain ‘thinghood’. The process of entification implies a dissociation of the cells from gendered human bodies whereby they reappear as detachable, usable properties. Keywords: human cells, scientific imaging, gender, assisted reproduction, molecularization