Techniques such as STORM and STED beat the diffraction limit to image structures down to tens of nanometres.
STED, PALM/STORM and SIM give resolution of 20 to 100 nm. Eric Betzig, Stefan Hell and William Moerner won the 2014 Nobel Prize. Applications include synaptic nanostructure and chromatin organisation.
Methods use patterned light or stochastic blinking of dyes. Labels must be dense and bright. Live imaging is limited.
Example: STORM maps synaptic proteins at nanoscale.
Techniques such as STORM and STED beat the diffraction limit to image structures down to tens of nanometres.
Super-Resolution Microscopy is one of the 51 topics in Lab Methods & Biostatistics. It is rated Advanced, so it suits learners who want specialist depth. Related topics in this area include Fluorescent Proteins, Magnification and Resolution, Confocal Microscopy.
It revealed periodic actin rings in axons.
Work through the Beginner topics in Lab Methods & Biostatistics first, such as Scientific Method, Hypothesis, Variables, then return to Super-Resolution Microscopy. Advanced topics assume the Intermediate vocabulary.
The closest topics to Super-Resolution Microscopy are Fluorescent Proteins, Magnification and Resolution, Confocal Microscopy, Immunofluorescence. Comparing them side by side is a good way to see how the ideas connect.
Read the summary and the in-depth section, then use the quick check on the interactive lesson for Super-Resolution Microscopy. To practise the whole of Lab Methods & Biostatistics, use the Lab Methods & Biostatistics quiz.
Super-Resolution Microscopy: Techniques such as STORM and STED beat the diffraction limit to image structures down to tens of nanometres. Fluorescent Proteins: GFP and relatives let researchers tag and watch proteins in living cells. Read both side by side and note what each one explains.
First, read the summary and write the definition in your own words. Second, read the in-depth section and note any example. Third, compare it with Fluorescent Proteins and explain the difference aloud. Finally, take the Lab Methods & Biostatistics quiz and come back to this page for any question you miss.
GFP and relatives let researchers tag and watch proteins in living cells.
📊 Lab Methods & BiostatisticsMagnification enlarges an image, while resolution is the ability to distinguish two close points.
📊 Lab Methods & BiostatisticsUses pinholes to remove out-of-focus light, giving sharp optical sections of thick specimens.
📊 Lab Methods & BiostatisticsFluorescent-labelled antibodies reveal the location of proteins in cells and tissues.
📊 Lab Methods & Biostatistics