Scientists at the University of Nottingham have applied the ultrasound method of intracellular research. With its help, it became possible to penetrate the structure of the cell and the study of its behavior. The new method has become an alternative to optical methods for the development of which their creators received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2014.
The method of phonon visualization, developed by British scientists, uses sound waves, the length of which is less than that of optical waves, so they are absolutely safe for living cells. Tomography based on this technique allows you to obtain valuable data on the internal structure of cells in the degree of detail, which had only had to be dreamed of before.
The potential of an ordinary optical microscope in this sense is limited, since the size of the smallest object, which can be considered with it, is limited to the length of the wave of light.
Unlike light, sound waves do not radiate the destructive energy cells. So, British scientists have learned to use waves of smaller length to see the smallest details with higher resolution without harming the cellular structure.