Simple change to microscope opens up complex panorama of cells

Fluorescence microscopy has offered scientists a colorful panorama of the interior of cells. However, as the scale gets well below a micrometer, its ability to resolve key cellular structures such as nuclear pores or mitochondria diminishes. Yale researchers in the lab of Joerg Bewersdorf have solved this technological problem by developing a way to visualize these tiny structures using standard light microscopy, a world previously only accessible by expensive and cumbersome electron microscopy.

This video takes viewers on a colorful tour of the interior of a cell revealing the diversity and interaction of its smallest components — a potential boon to cell biology research. The work is described in the journal Nature Communications.