By exposing living cells to forces up to 10 000 times greater than that of
gravity, centrifuges can make internal cell structures show up under polarised
light. However, standard microscopes cannot look at samples until they stop
spinning. Now researchers at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole,
Massachusetts, along with Japanese companies Olympus Optical and Hamamatsu
Photonics, have developed a microscope that can view samples as they spin by
firing a synchronised laser pulse through a window in the centrifuge.
More from New Scientist
Explore the latest news, articles and features
Mind
‘Remarkable’ discovery upends our understanding of how brains store memories
News
Humans
DNA reveals a society organised around women in pre-Roman Britain
News
Physics
Quantum entanglement is key to solving 250-year-old maths problem
News
Space
The most breathtaking photos of the total solar eclipse
News
Popular articles
Trending New Scientist articles