We can see ATOMS
With the help of Cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM), we are able to see individual atoms in a protein… HOW AWESOME this is… A new era of study has emerged positioning cryo-EM as a leading tool for mapping the 3D structures of proteins.
Let me explain a little bit about how Cryo-EM works.
Everything we see with our eyes is basically reflections of photons into our eyes because the light is using photons as a base particle. Unfortunately, some objects are smaller than the wavelength of a photon so we can not perceive them… In order to inspect objects that are smaller we need to use a different approach, that’s how electrons came into play.
Electrons’ wavelengths are shorter than photons’ so we can pick up reflections from smaller objects than what light can perceive.
Normal microscopes use light to inspect the tiny details so we needed a new approach to go even deeper. That’s how Cryo-EM started, it is based on electrons not photons under really cold conditions (-200 °C) with the help of liquid hydrogen.
read more about the breakthrough on this nature article:
