Published in Physics World, 3 Feb 2011
A new X-ray technique with the potential to image biological samples of any size has been unveiled by an international team of scientists. The breakthrough involves flashing a sample with intense X-rays before any radiation damage sets in and should allow researchers to analyse the structures of proteins and other samples that have never been imaged before.
X-rays are one of the most important tools to study the structures of biological samples. Typically a sample must be crystallized so that the molecules line up into a regular arrangement. When the X-rays pass through the crystal they diffract, producing a distinctive pattern from which scientists can deduce the sample’s structure. […]
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