Making the invisible visible
A new imaging technique can reveal tiny protein structures like never before
In 1665 robert hooke, a British polymath, published “Micrographia”, a book in which he described using what was then still a relatively new instrument—the microscope—to investigate the tiniest structures of everything from rocks to insects. Zooming in on a slice of cork, he saw a honeycomb-like structure and coined the term “cell” to describe the tiny pores he saw.
This article appeared in the Science & technology section of the print edition under the headline “Zooming in”
From the September 10th 2022 edition
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Elon Musk is causing problems for the Royal Society
His continued membership has led to a high-profile resignation
Deforestation is costing Brazilian farmers millions
Without trees to circulate moisture, the land is getting hotter and drier
Robots can learn new actions faster thanks to AI techniques
They could soon show their moves in settings from car factories to care homes
Scientists are learning why ultra-processed foods are bad for you
A mystery is finally being solved
Scientific publishers are producing more papers than ever
Concerns about some of their business models are building
The two types of human laugh
One is caused by tickling; the other by everything else