Painting cells with light

Abstract

Humans perceive, interpret and remember the world based mainly on sight. Images are at the basis of our understanding and our behaviour, and we mould the world using vision as our most important sense. Indeed, two of the technological advances that have revolutionized the way we understand the universe are the telescope and the microscope, which act by extending the power of human vision. They magnify and improve image resolution of immense distant bodies and of miniscule objects at the tip of our fingers.