The Photosystem I plant protein
All right, so here's some cool news. An international team of scientists just obtained the world's FIRST single-shot images of intact viruses by using the first hard X-ray free-electron laser called the Linac Coherent Light Source. This new technology can potentially revolutionize the study of tiny particles (i.e. molecules, microbes, viruses). The LCLS is located in the U.S. Department of Energy's SLAC National Accelator Laboratory and it's laser beam is a BILLION times brighter than previous X-ray beams. Since the time of the single pulses is miniscule, a few millionths of a billionth of a second in length, the subjects could vaporize while being photographed. However, it usually does not happen until after the photo has been taken.
This article also discusses the first experiment with the LCLS in which nanocrystals containing copies of the plant protein Photosytem I (the picture displayed above) were sprayed all across the laser beam. This laser took approximately 3 MILLIION pictures of this protein and from multiple angles. The pictures were then put together to create the full image. The second experiment used the largest known virus, the mimivirus, instead of nanocrystals. The resulting picture showed the outer coat and a dense middle area in the virus.
Personally, I think this news is great! Sometimes it is hard to fathom something as abstracts as viruses and molecules, but now we can actually see these tiny particles and their components. This could provide so many advances in areas such as medicine and elemental sciences!
Wanna check it out? Click here: http://www.gizmag.com/lcls-used-to-obtain-virus-and-protein-images/17809/
This is pretty amazing. I cannot wait to see how much further they take this technology and how popular it will become is hospitals and doctors offices.
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