#electron microscopy

Nudge Theory

We all respond differently to a nudge or a kick. So do our cells, reacting to physical forces from neighbouring cells and structures in unique ways that are hard to predict. To better understand this mechanotransduction – how cells convert physical forces to biological signals – researchers have developed a new platform for precise prodding. Tiny magnetic protrusions embedded on a soft hydrogel surface act as pillars for cells to grow on and around (pictured). When the researchers apply a magnetic field, the pillars bend, tugging or pushing on the cells. The team can then measure how cells respond to various degrees of pressure, observing in real time how dynamic forces impact behaviour. Cells grown among these protrusions adopted different shapes from those grown on flat surfaces, demonstrating a platform that could eventually feed into better tissue engineering and disease modelling.

Written by Anthony Lewis

Image from work by Roel Kooi and colleagues

Department of Mechanical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, The Netherlands

Image originally published with a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Published in Advanced Health Care Materials, February 2026

Shell spiral. The Veliger. April 1, 1970.

Ptychodon microundulata, a New Zealand land snail, magnified 110 x.

Tiny sense organs on the tip of the antenna of a Thanatophilus sinuatus beetle.

British journal of entomology and natural history. August 1988.

AI turns electron microscopy into materials insights in minutes

An electron microscopy image can capture atoms arranged in a crystal lattice or defects threading through a semiconductor material, but turning that image into materials insight can take weeks of careful analysis. Now, an autonomous artificial intelligence platform developed at Cornell can do that work in minutes. The EMSeek platform, reported April 1 in Science Advances, streamlines materials research by identifying key features in a microscopy image, determining the crystal structure, predicting material properties, comparing results with existing scientific literature, and generating a report within a single, integrated workflow. "Electron microscopy produces incredibly rich information, but the bottleneck is often turning those images into usable scientific understanding," said corresponding author Fengqi You, the Roxanne E. and Michael J. Zak Professor in Energy Systems at the Cornell Duffield College of Engineering. You is also co-director of the Cornell University AI for Science Institute.

Electron microscopy shows 'mouse bite' defects in semiconductors

Cornell researchers have used high-resolution 3D imaging to detect, for the first time, the atomic-scale defects in computer chips that can sabotage their performance. The imaging method, which was the result of a collaboration with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) and Advanced Semiconductor Materials (ASM), could touch almost every form of modern electronics, from phones and automobiles to AI data centers and quantum computing. The research is published in Nature Communications. The lead author is doctoral student Shake Karapetyan. "Since there's really no other way you can see the atomic structure of these defects, this is going to be a really important characterization tool for debugging and fault-finding in computer chips, especially at the development stage," said David Muller, the Samuel B. Eckert Professor of Engineering in the Cornell Duffield College of Engineering, who led the project.

Have you ever seen the incredible natural architecture of opals? This SEM image shows the unique microscopic structure that gives opals their amazing play of colours. The silica spheres inside the opal are arranged in a very regular, ordered pattern. Because of this structure, they interact with light specially, much like a photonic crystal (a material that can control light flow). This interaction causes opals to show those beautiful flashes of color, known as "play-of-color." This fascinating microstructure makes opals so special in nature and jewelry. Opal Structure – LVEM 5, SEM

World's smallest QR code, read via electron microscope, earns Guinness recognition

Just how small can a QR code be? Small enough that it can only be recognized with an electron microscope. A research team at TU Wien, working together with the data storage technology company Cerabyte, has now demonstrated exactly that. The QR code covers an area of just 1.98 square micrometers—smaller than most bacteria. The record has now been verified and officially entered into the Guinness World Records. The technology has enormous potential for long-term data storage: Conventional magnetic or electronic data storage systems often have lifespans of only a few years. But if information is written bit by bit into ceramic materials, it can endure for centuries or even millennia.