A partially activated platelet investigates the terrain... Every time you cut yourself, platelets help stop the bleeding. Suspended in action, this platelet has begun morphing from its quiescent state into a fully activated platelet that will release many clotting factors into the blood stream. These factors make it possible for the paper-cut you received yesterday to stop bleeding and become little more than a minor inconvenience today, reminding you of the impressively intricate design of our bodies. Funding Source(s): NIH Grants: 1RO1HL093399-01A2, P20 RR-016461, and HL084194