The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2014  has been awarded to three researchers namely Eric Betzig, Stefan Hell and William Moerner for improving the resolution of optical microscopy with the help of fluorescent molecules. Thereby they created the super resolved fluorescence microscopy. Two separate principles are rewarded namely stimulated emission depletion (STED) microscopy developed by Stefan Hell and single-molecule microscopy developed by Eric Betzig and William Moerner.
The optical microscopy was limited that, it would never obtain resolution than half the wavelength of light. Now with this discovery the limitations are lifted making it possible to see things in nano-dimension. It has paved way to nanoscopy, that is scientists can visualize pathways of individual molecules inside living cells. Thus enabling us to track proteins in Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s and Huntington’s diseases.
Source – BBC, Nobel prize
