Storming the light limit: How far can you go?

Optical light microscopy is set to enter a new era of superresolution with the development of technolo gies that overcome the resolution limit of traditional light microscopes. Ideal for a variety of disciplines within the biological sciences, these new technologies enable the study of cell structure at the nanoscale, revealing cellular features previously impossible to see. Whereas nanoscale imaging has been possible for many years using electron microscopy methods, the new superresolution optical technologies en able twodimensional and threedimensional imaging of fixed and/or living specimens. In this article, we provide a brief overview of the development of superresolution microscopy and Nikon's offering for superresolution fluorescence imaging, NSIM, with lateral resolution twice that of conventional light microscopes and suitable for fixed and live cell imaging, and NSTORM, which achieves a remarkable lateral resolution of approximately 20 nm and axial resolution of approximately 50 nm in fixed specimens.