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Scientific figure templates

Scientific figure templates for research paper figures, graphical abstracts and posters. Use one as a reference, or edit a copy.

60 templates

CRISPR cytosine base-editing mechanism showing Cas9 nickase, editing window, and C-to-T conversion

CRISPR Cytosine Base Editing

Genetics

Example prompt
Try changing
  • Change the target sequence and PAM
  • Highlight a different editing window
  • Use a blue-purple molecular palette

On mobile, use Reference to generate a new figure.

Graphene supercapacitor figure with electrode layout, pore-size annotation, reaction mechanism, and legend

Graphene Supercapacitor Mechanisms

Materials Chemistry

Example prompt
Try changing
  • Change the electrolyte ion species
  • Compare two graphene pore sizes
  • Recolor charge carriers by polarity

On mobile, use Reference to generate a new figure.

Clinical AI workflow connecting health data sources, model approaches, applications, and outcomes

Multimodal Clinical AI Pipeline

Clinical Informatics

Example prompt
Try changing
  • Replace the clinical data modalities
  • Add a human-review checkpoint
  • Emphasize one patient outcome

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Research workflow comparing community profiling with physiological, molecular, and bioinformatics characterization

Methanotroph Functional Characterization

Microbial Ecology

Example prompt
Try changing
  • Change the microbial community types
  • Add a stable-isotope probing branch
  • Recolor assay families by method

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Exoplanet transit photometry diagram with stellar light curve, depth, duration, and orbital geometry

Exoplanet Transit Photometry

Astronomy

Example prompt
Try changing
  • Change planet-to-star radius ratio
  • Add limb-darkening annotations
  • Highlight ingress and egress phases

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Oceanic-continental subduction cross-section with trench, volcanic arc, mantle wedge, and earthquake zone

Oceanic-Continental Subduction

Earth Science

Example prompt
Try changing
  • Change the slab dip angle
  • Add depth and temperature contours
  • Emphasize earthquake hypocenters

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Young double-slit experiment with path geometry, fringe spacing equation, and intensity profile

Young's Double-Slit Interference

Physics

Example prompt
Try changing
  • Change slit separation and wavelength
  • Add single-slit envelope
  • Color alternate interference fringes

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BRCA1 and BRCA2 testing workflow with variant interpretation, counselling, PARP eligibility, and cascade testing

BRCA1/2 Testing Workflow

Clinical Genetics

Example prompt
Try changing
  • Add a somatic-testing branch
  • Change clinical eligibility criteria
  • Highlight counselling checkpoints

On mobile, use Reference to generate a new figure.

Photosynthetic light reactions diagram showing photosystems, electron transport, ATP, NADPH, and proton gradient

Photosynthetic Light Reactions

Plant Biology

Example prompt
Try changing
  • Add cyclic electron flow
  • Highlight proton stoichiometry
  • Use a monochrome journal palette

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Liquid chromatography workflow from sample preparation and instrument analysis to peak integration and quantification

LC Sample-to-Quantification Workflow

Analytical Chemistry

Example prompt
Try changing
  • Replace the detector type
  • Add internal-standard correction
  • Change sample-preparation stages

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Hydrogeology cross-section comparing confined and unconfined aquifers with wells and hydraulic heads

Confined & Unconfined Aquifers

Hydrogeology

Example prompt
Try changing
  • Add a contamination plume
  • Change pumping-well locations
  • Show seasonal water-table change

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Airfoil aerodynamics schematic with angle of attack, lift, drag, pressure distribution, and flow separation

Airfoil Aerodynamics

Fluid Mechanics

Example prompt
Try changing
  • Change the angle of attack
  • Add pressure-coefficient plot
  • Move the separation point aft

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Shell-and-tube heat exchanger cutaway with tube-side and shell-side flow paths and temperature labels

Shell-and-Tube Heat Exchanger

Process Engineering

Example prompt
Try changing
  • Switch to co-current flow
  • Add temperature values at ports
  • Change the baffle arrangement

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Mass-spring-damper free-body diagram with force directions, parameters, and governing equation

Mass-Spring-Damper System

Mechanical Dynamics

Example prompt
Try changing
  • Add base excitation
  • Change to a two-degree system
  • Highlight damping-force direction

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3D microfluidic organ-on-chip figure with fluid inlets, cell chambers, detection zone, and outlet

Microfluidic Organ-on-Chip

Bioengineering

Example prompt
Try changing
  • Change the cultured tissue type
  • Add shear-stress values
  • Recolor the two fluid circuits

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Lithium-ion battery cutaway showing anode, separator, electrolyte, cathode, and discharge flow

Lithium-Ion Battery Cutaway

Energy Storage

Example prompt
Try changing
  • Change the cathode chemistry
  • Reverse arrows for charging
  • Add solid-electrolyte interphase

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Exploded 3D perovskite solar-cell layer stack with charge transport layers and electrodes

Perovskite Solar Cell Stack

Photovoltaics

Example prompt
Try changing
  • Change the transport-layer materials
  • Add layer thickness values
  • Compare normal and inverted stacks

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Exploded 3D 6U CubeSat showing solar panels, avionics, payload, structure, and attitude-control hardware

6U CubeSat Exploded View

Aerospace Engineering

Example prompt
Try changing
  • Replace the payload module
  • Add subsystem mass values
  • Show the antenna deployed

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3D crystal lattice showing vacancy, substitutional impurity, interstitial atom, and dislocation

Crystal Point Defects

Materials Science

Example prompt
Try changing
  • Change the lattice structure
  • Highlight only point defects
  • Add a Burgers circuit inset

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3D PEM fuel-cell layer stack with gas diffusion layers, catalyst, membrane, and reaction-flow annotations

PEM Fuel Cell Layer Stack

Electrochemistry

Example prompt
Try changing
  • Add catalyst-layer thicknesses
  • Change to an electrolyzer direction
  • Emphasize water-management paths

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Cutaway 3D icosahedral virus capsid showing capsomeres and enclosed nucleic-acid genome

Icosahedral Virus Capsid Cutaway

Structural Virology

Example prompt
Try changing
  • Change the genome type
  • Add a viral envelope
  • Highlight symmetry axes

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3D pneumatic soft robotic gripper cutaway showing elastomer body, air chambers, and bending response

Pneumatic Soft Robotic Gripper

Soft Robotics

Example prompt
Try changing
  • Change the chamber geometry
  • Add pressure values
  • Show a different grasped object

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3D tokamak cutaway showing plasma torus, vacuum vessel, toroidal field coils, and poloidal field coils

Tokamak Fusion Reactor Cutaway

Plasma Physics

Example prompt
Try changing
  • Highlight the divertor geometry
  • Add heating-system callouts
  • Change plasma cross-section shape

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3D stratigraphic drill-core display with distinct sedimentary units, depth scale, and facies labels

Stratigraphic Drill Core

Sedimentology

Example prompt
Try changing
  • Change the facies sequence
  • Add gamma-ray log values
  • Highlight the unconformity surface

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3D stirred-tank bioreactor cutaway with impellers, baffles, sparger, probes, and operating parameters

Stirred-Tank Bioreactor

Bioprocess Engineering

Example prompt
Try changing
  • Change the impeller design
  • Add operating parameter values
  • Show a single-use bag reactor

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3D wind-turbine nacelle cutaway showing low-speed shaft, gearbox, brake, generator, and cooling system

Wind Turbine Drivetrain

Renewable Energy

Example prompt
Try changing
  • Replace with direct-drive layout
  • Add rotational speed values
  • Highlight the cooling loop

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3D MRI scanner cutaway showing main magnet, gradient coils, RF coil, patient bore, and field direction

MRI Scanner Cutaway

Medical Physics

Example prompt
Try changing
  • Add receive-coil geometry
  • Show gradient directions
  • Change to an open MRI design

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3D centrifugal pump cutaway showing suction inlet, impeller, volute, shaft, seal, and discharge outlet

Centrifugal Pump Cutaway

Mechanical Engineering

Example prompt
Try changing
  • Change the impeller blade count
  • Add pressure values
  • Show cavitation near the inlet

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Lipid nanoparticle mRNA delivery figure showing endocytosis, endosomal escape, and protein production

LNP mRNA Delivery

Drug Delivery

Example prompt
Try changing
  • Change the delivered RNA cargo
  • Add nuclear-targeting branch
  • Highlight endosomal escape efficiency

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Theranostics figure showing peptide internalization, targeted therapy, apoptosis, and fluorescence imaging

Cell-Penetrating Peptide Theranostics

Cancer Nanomedicine

Example prompt
Try changing
  • Change the targeting receptor
  • Replace the therapeutic cargo
  • Separate imaging and therapy branches

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Seven-step RNA sequencing workflow from biological sample and library preparation to interpretation

RNA-Seq Analysis Pipeline

Genomics

Example prompt
Try changing
  • Change to single-end sequencing
  • Add batch-correction stage
  • Replace differential analysis with splicing

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Drinking-water treatment train from intake through coagulation, sedimentation, filtration, and disinfection

Drinking-Water Treatment Train

Environmental Engineering

Example prompt
Try changing
  • Add membrane filtration stage
  • Change disinfectant chemistry
  • Show contaminant removal percentages

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Public-health contact-tracing workflow with index case, interview, exposure windows, testing, and follow-up

Contact Tracing Workflow

Public Health

Example prompt
Try changing
  • Change the testing schedule
  • Add digital notification path
  • Highlight high-risk contacts

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Exoplanet transit photometry pipeline from telescope observation through calibration and light-curve analysis

Exoplanet Photometry Pipeline

Astronomy

Example prompt
Try changing
  • Add comparison-star selection
  • Change the detrending method
  • Show uncertainty intervals

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Mechanical polymer recycling loop showing collection, sorting, washing, shredding, extrusion, and remanufacture

Mechanical Polymer Recycling Loop

Polymer Engineering

Example prompt
Try changing
  • Add chemical-recycling branch
  • Change the polymer resin type
  • Show material-loss percentages

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Precision-agriculture monitoring system with satellite, drone, field sensors, soil parameters, and variable-rate application

Precision Agriculture Monitoring

Agronomy

Example prompt
Try changing
  • Change the monitored crop
  • Add irrigation-control output
  • Highlight nitrogen stress zones

On mobile, use Reference to generate a new figure.

Ocean microplastic sampling workflow with manta trawl, station metadata, size fraction, particle count, and polymer analysis

Ocean Microplastic Sampling

Marine Science

Example prompt
Try changing
  • Change the sampling device
  • Add contamination blanks
  • Split particles by morphology

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Michaelis-Menten enzyme kinetics figure with reaction scheme, velocity curve, Vmax, Km, and parameter definitions

Michaelis-Menten Enzyme Kinetics

Biochemistry

Example prompt
Try changing
  • Add competitive inhibition curve
  • Change kinetic parameter values
  • Include Lineweaver-Burk inset

On mobile, use Reference to generate a new figure.

T-cell-dependent antibody response showing antigen presentation, helper T-cell activation, B-cell maturation, and memory

T-Cell-Dependent Antibody Response

Immunology

Example prompt
Try changing
  • Change the vaccine antigen
  • Add cytokine signals
  • Emphasize memory-cell formation

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Positive-resist photolithography process with coating, soft bake, UV exposure, development, etching, and stripping

Positive-Resist Photolithography

Semiconductor Engineering

Example prompt
Try changing
  • Switch to negative resist
  • Add process temperatures
  • Change the patterned feature width

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Wildfire burn-severity mapping workflow with prefire and postfire imagery, NBR, dNBR, and severity classes

Wildfire Burn-Severity Mapping

Remote Sensing

Example prompt
Try changing
  • Change severity thresholds
  • Add field-validation points
  • Compare two fire seasons

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Hand-drawn rocky intertidal quadrat field survey with transect distances, tidal elevations, species zones, and field notes

Rocky Intertidal Quadrat Survey

Coastal Ecology

Example prompt
Try changing
  • Change quadrat spacing
  • Replace the focal species
  • Add wave-exposure comparison

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Mitochondrial inner-membrane oxidative phosphorylation with respiratory complexes, proton gradient, and ATP synthase

Mitochondrial Oxidative Phosphorylation

Cellular Bioenergetics

Example prompt
Try changing
  • Add electron donors NADH and FADH2
  • Highlight a respiratory inhibitor
  • Change proton and electron colors

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Autophagy flux pathway from phagophore formation through autophagosome fusion and lysosomal degradation

Autophagy-Lysosome Flux

Cell Biology

Example prompt
Try changing
  • Add mTOR and AMPK regulation
  • Show blocked lysosomal degradation
  • Change the selected cargo type

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MAPK ERK signaling cascade from growth-factor receptor activation to nuclear transcriptional response

MAPK/ERK Cascade

Signal Transduction

Example prompt
Try changing
  • Add pathway inhibitors
  • Branch to cytoskeletal targets
  • Highlight phosphorylated proteins

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PI3K AKT mTOR signaling network linking receptor activation to growth, metabolism, and autophagy

PI3K-AKT-mTOR Signaling

Cancer Signaling

Example prompt
Try changing
  • Add drug inhibition points
  • Emphasize PTEN loss
  • Separate mTORC1 and mTORC2 branches

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GPCR cAMP signaling pathway from ligand binding through G protein activation and PKA response

GPCR-cAMP Signaling

Molecular Pharmacology

Example prompt
Try changing
  • Switch to inhibitory G alpha i
  • Add phosphodiesterase blockade
  • Highlight the nuclear CREB branch

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p53 DNA-damage checkpoint showing ATM activation, p21 arrest, repair, senescence, and apoptosis outcomes

p53 Cell-Cycle Checkpoint

Cancer Biology

Example prompt
Try changing
  • Add oncogenic MDM2 amplification
  • Highlight the apoptosis branch
  • Change the checkpoint to G2/M

On mobile, use Reference to generate a new figure.

Epigenetic enhancer silencing comparing active chromatin with DNA methylation and repressive histone marks

Epigenetic Enhancer Silencing

Epigenomics

Example prompt
Try changing
  • Change the histone-mark labels
  • Add CRISPR epigenome editing
  • Emphasize chromatin looping

On mobile, use Reference to generate a new figure.

Western blot workflow from protein extraction through electrophoresis, transfer, antibody detection, and quantification

Western Blot Workflow

Protein Analysis

Example prompt
Try changing
  • Change the detection chemistry
  • Add loading-control normalization
  • Include sample lane labels

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Sandwich ELISA workflow showing capture antibody, sample antigen, detection antibody, substrate, and standard curve

ELISA Workflow

Immunoassays

Example prompt
Try changing
  • Switch to indirect ELISA
  • Change the enzyme-substrate pair
  • Add wash counts and incubation times

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Single-cell RNA sequencing workflow from tissue dissociation and droplet capture to clustering and marker analysis

Single-Cell RNA-Seq Workflow

Single-Cell Genomics

Example prompt
Try changing
  • Change to plate-based capture
  • Add doublet filtering
  • Relabel cell-type clusters

On mobile, use Reference to generate a new figure.

Nephron anatomy diagram showing renal corpuscle, tubule segments, collecting duct, and associated blood vessels

Nephron Anatomy

Renal Physiology

Example prompt
Try changing
  • Add segment-specific transporters
  • Highlight water reabsorption
  • Compare cortical and juxtamedullary nephrons

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Alveolar gas exchange diagram showing the air-blood barrier and opposing oxygen and carbon-dioxide diffusion

Alveolar Gas Exchange

Respiratory Physiology

Example prompt
Try changing
  • Add partial-pressure values
  • Show pulmonary edema
  • Highlight surfactant-producing cells

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Tumor microenvironment cross-section with cancer cells, immune cells, fibroblasts, vessels, and signaling interactions

Tumor Microenvironment

Tumor Immunology

Example prompt
Try changing
  • Change immune-cell composition
  • Add checkpoint-blockade therapy
  • Highlight hypoxic tumor regions

On mobile, use Reference to generate a new figure.

Chemical synaptic transmission from action-potential arrival through vesicle fusion and postsynaptic receptor activation

Synaptic Transmission

Neuroscience

Example prompt
Try changing
  • Change the neurotransmitter system
  • Add inhibitory receptor signaling
  • Highlight vesicle recycling steps

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Classical liver lobule showing portal triads, hepatocyte plates, sinusoids, central vein, and bile flow

Liver Lobule Architecture

Hepatic Histology

Example prompt
Try changing
  • Highlight metabolic zones
  • Add fibrosis around portal tracts
  • Emphasize opposing bile flow

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Nanoparticle design comparison linking particle size and surface ligands to transport, uptake, and clearance

Nanoparticle Size & Surface Engineering

Nanomedicine

Example prompt
Try changing
  • Change the particle size range
  • Compare three surface ligands
  • Highlight one clearance pathway

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Semiconductor heterojunction energy-band diagram comparing type I, type II, and type III alignments

Semiconductor Heterojunction Band Alignment

Electronic Materials

Example prompt
Try changing
  • Insert named semiconductor materials
  • Add band-offset values
  • Highlight photocatalytic carrier separation

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Wetland carbon cycle showing plant uptake, litter input, soil storage, methane production, oxidation, and gas exchange

Wetland Carbon Cycle

Biogeochemistry

Example prompt
Try changing
  • Add seasonal water-table change
  • Compare restored and drained wetland
  • Highlight methane oxidation zone

On mobile, use Reference to generate a new figure.