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'Super-resolution' microscope possible for nanostructures

Researchers at Purdue University have developed a new super-resolution optical microscopy technique that can image synthetic nanostructures and molecules without the need for fluorescent dyes. The technique, called saturated transient absorption microscopy (STAM), uses a trio of laser beams to selectively illuminate molecules, allowing...

SourcePurdue University·JournalNature Photonics·DateApr 29, 2013

Optical vortices on a chip

A team of scientists has developed integrated arrays of optical vortex beams on a silicon chip, which can be used to transmit multiple streams of information. This breakthrough could enable the creation of compact and high-density devices for applications such as sensing and microscopic particle manipulation.

SourceUniversity of Bristol·JournalScience·DateOct 18, 2012

Addressing the need for microscopic speed

Researchers have developed a digital microscope that creates high-resolution images at fast speeds, enabling scientists to study biological processes like cell activity in greater detail. The new device uses a programmable micromirror system to reject unwanted light and improve image quality.

SourceUniversity of Leicester·JournalPLOS ONE·DateAug 24, 2012

Novel microscopy method offers sharper view of brain's neural network

A team of Italian researchers has developed a new microscopy technique called confocal light sheet microscopy (CLSM) that improves the resolution and contrast of images of the brain's neural pathways. CLSM enables scientists to obtain high-resolution views of tissue samples with a resolution of a few microns and faster acquisition time.

SourceOptica·JournalOptics Express·DateAug 23, 2012

First photo of shadow of single atom

A Griffith University research team has successfully photographed the shadow of a single atom for the first time. The achievement is made possible by a super high-resolution microscope that allows the creation of a darker image, enabling its capture. This technology has far-reaching implications for quantum computing and biomicroscopy.

SourceGriffith University·JournalNature Communications·DateJul 3, 2012

Keeping up with embryogenesis

A new imaging technology captures unprecedented speed and precision of embryogenesis, enabling quantitative analyses of developmental processes. The SiMView light sheet microscope allows users to track each cell in an embryo as it takes shape over hours or days.

SourceHoward Hughes Medical Institute·JournalNature Methods·DateJun 5, 2012

Sharp images from the living mouse brain

Researchers at Max Planck Institute have recorded detailed live images inside the brain of a living mouse using STED microscopy, making minute structures visible for the first time. This breakthrough could help decipher fundamental processes in the brain and shed light on illnesses caused by synapse malfunction.

SourceMax-Planck-Gesellschaft·JournalScience·DateFeb 6, 2012

Applied Optics focus issue: Digital holography and 3-D imaging

The Focus Issue on Digital Holography and 3-D Imaging presents recent breakthroughs in digital holography, enabling non-invasive biomedical imaging and applications in structural analysis. Novel techniques such as compressive holography and lens-free tomographic microscopy are showcased, advancing 3-D display technologies.

SourceOptica·JournalApplied Optics·DateDec 7, 2011

Ready for their close-up

Scientists have developed a technique using scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) to view proteins tagged with gold nanoparticles in whole, intact cells. This method offers ten times better resolution than optical microscopes and could help study cancer processes and understand how viruses hijack healthy cells.

Research team achieves first 2-color STED microscopy of living cells

A research team from Yale University has successfully achieved two-color stimulated emission depletion (STED) microscopy in living cells, overcoming previous challenges in labeling target proteins. The breakthrough enables resolutions of 78 nanometers and 82 nanometers for sequential scans of two proteins in living cells.

SourceOptica·JournalBiomedical Optics Express·DateAug 17, 2011

Rejuvenating electron microscopy

Scientists at UCSD and colleagues create a new type of genetic tag visible under electron microscopy, enabling detailed three-dimensional images of individual cells. The breakthrough enhances electron microscopy capabilities, allowing researchers to visualize proteins in unprecedented detail.

SourcePLOS·JournalPLOS Biology·DateApr 5, 2011

Single-molecule manipulation for the masses

A new instrument, Centrifuge Force Microscope (CFM), uses centrifugal force to manipulate molecules, offering a low-cost and simple approach to single-molecule manipulation. This technique enables researchers to study the interactions of thousands of molecules simultaneously.

SourceHarvard University·JournalBiophysical Journal·DateJun 2, 2010

Super-resolution microscopy takes on a third dimension

Scientists have developed a new imaging technology that produces the best three-dimensional resolution ever seen with an optical microscope, allowing them to pinpoint fluorescent labels in all three dimensions. This breakthrough will help reveal how biomolecules organize themselves into cellular structures and signaling complexes.

SourceHoward Hughes Medical Institute·JournalProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences·DateFeb 2, 2009

Synergy between biology and physics drives cell-imaging technology

Advances in super-resolution imaging technologies, such as STED, STORM, PALM, and structured illumination microscopy, have broken the diffraction limit of light, enabling the imaging of cellular structures as small as 50 nanometres. These techniques are driven by both biological and physical needs, inspiring new questions and discoveries.

SourceIOP Publishing·JournalPhysics World·DateJun 2, 2008

Looking at neurons from all sides

Scientists have developed a new technique to study neurons in three dimensions, allowing for faster analysis of neuronal activity and interactions. This breakthrough uses a fast-moving laser beam and multi-photon microscopy to provide a more detailed understanding of neuron function.

SourceBaylor College of Medicine·JournalNature Neuroscience·DateApr 27, 2008