You can tell a lot about a material based on the type of light shining at it: Optical light illuminates a material's surface, while X-rays reveal its internal structures and infrared captures a ...

Amanda Smith is a freelance journalist and writer. She reports on culture, society, human interest and technology. Her stories hold a mirror to society, reflecting both its malaise and its beauty.

To observe biomolecules at work they must reside in their native environments. For soluble proteins this is a physiological buffer. Membrane proteins, in addition, need to be embedded in a lipid ...