Live mitochondria seen in unprecedented detail: photobleaching in STED microscopy overcome

A research team has created a fluorescent marker molecule that does not degrade under a STED microscope: the photobleaching problem has been solved. Images of living cells can now be captured over relatively long periods by an optical microscope with a resolution below the diffraction limit, optimally down to 60 nanometers. Sequences of up to 1000 sharp images of live mitochondria, the power generators of cells, were recorded at 1.5 frames-per-second.