beautymitosis.indd CARYOLOGIA *Corresponding author: e-mail: Waheeb.Heneen@slu.se Vol. 64, no. 1: 129, 2011 Two DVDs on ”The Beauty of Mitosis” Waheeb K. Heneen Department of Plant Breeding and Biotechnology Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, P.O. Box 101, 23053 Alnarp, Sweden University Version: https://www.createspace.com/292574 School Version: https://www.createspace.com/292575 Both Versions: https://www.createspace.com/292809 Cytologists who have seen the fi lms on mitosis made by Andrew Bajer and Jadwiga Molè-Bajer during the 1960th cannot forget the impression these fi lms made by portraying the dynamics of mitosis in a captivating way. The fi lms were re- ceived, and still are considered as among if not the best educative fi lms on mitosis. The fi lms doc- umented nuclear division in endosperm tissues of blood lily Haemanthus katharinae (now named Scadoxus multifl orus ssp. katharinae). The Bajers developed the technique of maintaining the en- dosperm tissues alive during phase contrast mi- croscopy and time-lapse cinematography of the mitotic process, using an assembled movie cam- era. They also visualized mitosis in Scadoxus using other microscopic approaches such as bright fi eld and differential interference contrast microscopy as well as transmission electron microscopy. Recently, the Bajers selected some of their time-lapse fi lms and converted them to a digital form. The digital fi lm sequences, schematic draw- ings of the mitotic stages and still pictures using bright fi eld and differential interference contrast microscopy, supplied by the Bajers, together with some of my scanning electron pictures, all on Sc- adoxus, constituted the pictorial material for the edition of a DVD on mitosis. Two DVD versions were made titled “The Beauty of Mitosis: University Version” and “The Beauty of Mitosis: School Version”, 25 min and 12 min long, respectively, by Andrew S. Bajer, Jadwiga A. Molè-Bajer and Waheeb K. Heneen. In The Beauty of Mitosis: University Version, various aspects of normal mitosis, spontaneous aberrations and effects of chemicals, UV-irradi- ation and X-rays are exemplifi ed. Features such as duration of mitosis, behaviour of ring chromo- somes, colchicine effects, multipolar division as well as chromosome nondisjunction and break- age are elucidated. Phase contrast cinematogra- phy is complemented with schematic drawings and photographs of the different stages of mitosis as seen after bright fi eld, differential interference contrast and scanning electron microscopy. The detailed University Version is an educational fi lm meant for university students and researchers, as a complement to genetic and cytology courses in life sciences and medicine. In The Beauty of Mitosis: School Version, phase contrast cinematography of normal mito- sis, chromatin condensation and the duration of mitotic stages are complemented with schematic drawings and bright fi eld photographs of the mitotic stages. Features of aberrant mitosis are exemplifi ed by chromosome nondisjunction and fragmentation induced by exposure to UV-irradi- ation and X-rays. The short School Version is an educational fi lm meant for school students, as a complement to the lectures of biology teachers. In both versions, necessary explanatory text is added. Fitting well as background music is Chopin´s piano concerto no.1. The prime goal of making these DVDs is to have the Bajers “unique” fi lms accessible for cytology scholars and biology students. The DVDs have been released through CreateSpace.com in October 2010. My contribu- tion is just the edition work of the two versions and contribution with scanning electron micro- scope pictures in the University Version. Letters and Comunications The last page of each number will be dedicated to the relationship with Authors and readers. Com- munication by the Editorial Board and letters by Authors will be published here. The Editor to the Readers of our journal Dear Authors, the Authors who must pay the reduced subscription are solicited to accomplish their duty by bank remittance to: UNICREDIT S.p.A Via Volturno 10/12 Sesto Fiorentino - Osmannoro (FI) IBAN: IT / 12 / H / 02008 / 02837 / 000041126968 SWIFT (BIC): UNCRITM1F86 registered to University of Florence -Polo Scientifi co di Sesto e Agraria-Caryologia. Published Giugno 15th 2011 Editore: Università degli Studi di Firenze Registrazione Tribunale di Firenze n. 478 del 13/7/1951 Redazione: Dipartimento di Biologia Vegetale Via La Pira, 4 - 50121 FIRENZE Direttore Responsabile: Dr. ALESSIO PAPINI Stampato a Firenze da Edizioni Tassinari - Firenze - Giugno 2011