By Susan Young, Technology Review
Helpful flaws: Defects in the structure of a diamond appear as black circular spots in this false-color image. The defects act as magnetic-field sensors that can detect weak magnetic fields coming from small samples on the diamond’s surface. Two reports published online in Science on Thursday open up the possibility that researchers may be able to determine the structure of individual proteins in living cells. Although the work is still in early stages, the potential is that researchers could get a better handle on the role of proteins in disease. Physicists in the U.S. and Germany report important steps toward magnetic resonance imaging, or MRI, of molecules in two separate studies. In both reports, the researchers show how specially modified diamond flakes can be used as nanoscale magnetic field detectors. These tiny sensors can elucidate the structure of single organic molecules. With nanoscale MRI, researchers may one day be able to directly image proteins and other molecules at the atomic scale.
http://www.technologyreview.com/news/510476/tiny-sensors-could-give-an-atom-level-view-of-proteins/
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