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The evolution of the optical microscope: Why is nanotechnology so fascinating?
With the rapid development of biomedical research, optical microscopy technology has ushered in a new era. The development of super-resolution microscopy technology has broken through the imaging boundaries set by the diffraction limit of light, allowing scientists to observe previously undetectable nanostructures.
“Super-resolution imaging technology uses near-field and far-field methods to obtain higher resolution images.”
Super-resolution microscopy technology uses a variety of algorithms to present the dynamic behavior and structural changes of biological molecules to scientists. The two main techniques are deterministic super-resolution and stochastic super-resolution. These methods rely on the nonlinear response of molecular luminescence and the temporal behavior of the luminescence source, providing us with Fascinating perspective.
"In 2014, the Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded to Eric Betzig, W.E. Moerner and Stefan Hell for their powerful demonstration of the practicality of super-resolution microscopy in the nanoscale."
In the evolution of super-resolution microscopy, four important technical aspects deserve attention: light tunneling microscopy (PTM), quadruple helix microscopy (4Pi), structured illumination microscopy (SIM) and spatially modulated illumination (SMI). These techniques are providing new insights into biomedicine and helping to study the complex interactions within cells.
Light tunneling microscopy utilizes the photon penetration effect, while quadruple helix microscopy improves axial resolution by simultaneously focusing from two opposing objectives. For example, the best resolution of the quadruple helix microscope can reach 150 nanometers, which is significantly better than that of a standard confocal microscope.
"Structured illumination microscopy not only improves image quality by changing the illumination frequency, but also lays the foundation for many future medical diagnostic technologies."
Structured illumination microscopy collects information from different frequency domains and reconstructs super-resolution images, which enables the medical community to make diagnoses at higher resolutions. In addition, spatially modulated illumination techniques are also being integrated with a variety of super-resolution techniques to produce more insightful imaging results, especially in the study of ocular tissue diseases.
With the development of super-resolution technology, the application of biosensors has become more and more common. These sensors can track intracellular activities in real time. Using genetically encoded sensors, scientists can precisely measure biological events such as calcium, pH, and voltage, providing invaluable data for understanding cellular dynamics.
"The development of super-resolution microscopy not only attracts more researchers to devote their efforts, but also challenges our traditional understanding of biological systems."
However, these optical microscopy techniques also face challenges, such as the complexity of lasers, limitations on image capture speed, and the light sensitivity of samples, which can affect the imaging process. Even so, researchers are still working hard to improve these problems.
It is noteworthy that these technological advances have enabled us to understand not only the macroscopic level but also the microscopic level. Current technology has enabled us to see a more detailed and dynamic internal structure of cells.
With the evolution of optical microscopes and their application in nanotechnology, the scientific community is faced with the challenge of how to transform this new knowledge into practical medical and biotechnological achievements. Are you also thinking about what future technology will bring? What are the further possibilities?
