Pulsed laser induced heating of the transparent media with light-absorbing nanoparticles (NP) in water and in living cells was experimentally studied with photothermal microscopy and thermal lens methods. At low laser-induced temperatures of the NPs and without vapor bubble generation the media was heated by NPs due to thermal diffusion. At higher laser-induced temperatures of the NPs that have caused the generation of vapor bubbles around NPs; no heating of the media outside the bubbles and after their collapse was observed. This effect of "cold" generation of the bubbles is associated with NP properties and was not observed during bubble generation in homogeneously heated light-absorbing media under equal conditions. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.