check out this post on Nobel Prize In Chemistry 2017 Awarded For Imaging The Molecules Of Life
The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2017 has been awarded to three researchers, Jacques Dubochet, Joachim Frank & Richard Henderson, for their work on imaging the molecules of life.
The three, including Cambridge University’s Richard Henderson, were able to develop a revolutionary new electron microscopy imaging technique that can see these molecules at the atomic level.
Atomic structures of a) protein complex that governs circadian rhythm b) pressure sensor of the type that allows us to hear c) Zika virus pic.twitter.com/ixAyJesj99
— The Nobel Prize (@NobelPrize) October 4, 2017
“This method has moved biochemistry into a new era,” the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences said in a statement awarding the $1.1 million) prize.
“Researchers can now freeze biomolecules mid-movement and visualize processes they have never previously seen, which is decisive for both the basic understanding of life’s chemistry and for the development of pharmaceuticals.”
The breakthrough has been compared to being able to actually photograph a person on the Moon from Earth in minute detail.
Traditionally one of the biggest hurdles in using electron microscopes is that the water surrounding these molecules simply evaporates in the vacuum chamber.
