Submitted by jennlara t3_10gjb3t in askscience
fondood t1_j54pbcq wrote
You've gotten lots of good comments describing what tumors look like, but if you're wondering what color the actual cells are, the answer is that they are usually off-white (just like most cells in the body, which cancer cells derive from). The colors others are describing in solid tumors or organs are usually due to the presence of different types of cells (like red blood cells) or certain fluids (like the yellow of bile). If you were to remove the tumor, squish it up and take out just the cancerous cells, to the naked eye they would most likely appear off-white.
Chemomechanics t1_j55y51i wrote
> to the naked eye they would most likely appear off-white.
Single cells would appear clear. Agglomerations of many, many cells would appear off-white for the same reason that milk or snow appears off-white: indiscriminate scattering of white light.
fondood t1_j59lz0y wrote
Single (human) cells wouldn't appear as anything to the naked eye. Unless your naked eye is a microscope, which would be dope.
Chemomechanics t1_j5av0bn wrote
I’m referring to a monolayer.
jennlara OP t1_j553nq7 wrote
Thank you so much!
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