E-Mail IMAGE: Using a Zeiss LSM 880 confocal microscope with Airyscan detector, researchers in UD Assistant Professor Jessica Tanis' lab can image extracellular vesicles, which are made visible by a green fluorescent... view more Credit: Photo by Timothy Chaya Scientists have known for decades that our cells constantly shed tiny pieces known as extracellular vesicles (EVs), but until relatively recently they believed that this process was merely a way for cells to rid themselves of material that was no longer needed. "For a long time, EVs were thought of as a nonspecific garbage disposal mechanism," said Jessica Tanis, assistant professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Delaware.