New microscope gives clear view inside cells

Fluorescence technique dials back damage by splitting beams of light

two cells touching each other

SPYING ON CELLS  An immune cell bearing a fluorescent orange tag reaches out and touches another cell (tagged in blue). Scientists can watch the action using a new microscope that’s not as damaging to cells as previous scopes. The scale bar represents 4 micrometers.

Betzig Lab/HHMI

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A new microscope sweeps lattices of light over samples to give scientists sneak peeks inside living cells without hurting them.