Apr. 29, 2013

Transmission Electron Microscopy: Imaging Nanoparticles in Action

The macroscopic effects of certain nanoparticles on human health have long been clear to the naked eye. What scientists have lacked is the ability to see the detailed movements of individual particles that give rise to those effects. In a recently published study, scientists at the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute invented a technique for imaging nanoparticle dynamics with atomic resolution as these dynamics occur in a liquid environment. The results will allow, for the first time, the imaging of nanoscale processes, such as the engulfment of nanoparticles into cells.
moreApr. 29, 2013

New Imaging Technology Could Reveal Cellular Secrets

Researchers have married two biological imaging technologies, creating a new way to learn how good cells go bad. "Let's say you have a large population of cells," said Corey Neu, an assistant professor in Purdue University's Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering. "Just one of them might metastasize or proliferate, forming a cancerous tumor. We need to understand what it is that gives rise to that one bad cell."
moreApr. 26, 2013

Ultra-high Resolution Microscopy: Cellular Networks Up Close

High-powered microscopic techniques give scientists a detailed view of a critical component of the cellular infrastructure. The cellular interior is criss-crossed by protein-based cables known as microtubules, each formed from 13 ‘protofilaments' composed of the protein tubulin. Microtubules are also associated with a host of other specialized proteins that help coordinate the transport of molecular cargoes and link microtubules to intracellular structures.
moreApr. 25, 2013

Multilayer Laue Lenses Enable Studies of Nanostructures with Ultra-high Resolution

Microscopes have been a centerpiece of experimental science since at least the 16th century, providing a window into the material world at extraordinarily small scales. As the structures examined decrease in size - some measuring just billionths of a meter - capturing an x-ray image at high spatial resolution while retaining sufficient imaging contrast becomes more difficult. moreApr. 23, 2013

Ultra-fast High-resolution Imaging in Real Time

Ultra-fast high-resolution imaging in real time could be a reality with a new research discovery led by the University of Melbourne. The scientists have demonstrated that ultra short durations of electron bunches generated from laser-cooled atoms can be both very cold and ultra-fast. The results were published in Nature Communications.
moreApr. 22, 2013

Fluorescence Technique Measures Photoacid Distribution in Photoresists with Nanoscale Resolution

A team of researchers from the NIST Center for Nanoscale Science and Technology, the University of Maryland, and Korea University (Seoul, Korea) has measured the nanoscale distribution of photoacid molecules in photoresists using a fluorescence technique originally developed to provide images of biological structures smaller than the wavelength of light. Photoresists are light-sensitive chemicals used for manufacturing the semiconductor integrated circuits found in computers and other electronics. By measuring the chemical reactions in photoresists at a smaller length scale, this method potentially opens a path to manufacturing smaller electronic devices.
moreApr. 17, 2013

Imaging & Microscopy Announces the Winner of the Prize Draw

At the FOM2013 in Maastricht, The Netherlands, Imaging & Microscopy held a prize draw for the book "Fundamentals of Light Microscopy and Electronic Imaging, Second Edition by Douglas B. Murphy and Michael W. Davidson". The winner of the prize draw is Danielle Jansen from Nikon Instruments Europe B.V. in Amsterdam.

Imaging & Microscopy congratulates Danielle Jansen. moreApr. 15, 2013

Atomic Force Microscopy: Decoding Secrets of our Gut

A new technique based on atomic force microscopy was developed at the Institute of Food Research to help ‘read' information encoded in the gut lining. The lining of our gut is an important barrier between the outside world and our bodies. Laid out, the gut lining would cover the area of a football pitch. It must let nutrients from our foods through, but prevent invasion by disease-causing bacteria, at the same time hosting the trillions of beneficial bacteria needed for proper digestion and immune function.
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