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The abstract of the presentation follows:
3D Quantum Biomicroscopy: We Must See, We Will See
One of the oldest dreams of science is the direct imaging of biomolecular stuctures, in situ, with atomic resolution. In the 1940s and 1950s, physicists such as Pauling, von Neumann, Weiner, Langmuir, and Feynman set forth road maps which envisioned technologies that could image every atom within a biological structure, in situ, with no need for cloning, expression, purification or crystallization.
Their road maps were instrumental in creating the technologies that are essential to modern structural proteomics, such as x-ray crystallography, solution NMR, and electron microscopy. However, their goals were not fully achieved, in the sense that none of these technologies have proved capable of comprehensive biomicroscopy in the manner originally envisioned.
Now it is our generation's turn to try. By combining scanning probe microscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance imaging, and quantum observation technologies, a community of quantum microscopists is making steady progress toward the goal of comprehensive biomicroscopy via single-spin imaging, to the point that this "quantum microscope" technology will likely be commercialized within the next few years.
The talk will set forth a technological road map for traveling the remaining distance as rapidly as possible, and will attempt to envision a secure and prosperous 21st Century world in which comprehensive molecular observation is a routine practice.
The HTML slideshow loads quickly, but its image files are low-resolution. For those who prefer higher-resolution images, this directory contains the native PowerPoint file file of the AAAS MRFM talk, together with a printable PDF file. Note: the PowerPoint file has an embedded initial movie and final movie whose download is recommended. A transcript of the talk is being prepared.
