For several decades the electron microscope has been the instrument of choice for the examination of biological structures at high resolution. Biologists have be come familiar with the techniques and pitfalls of sample preparation and with the interpretation of the images obtained. The purpose of this book is to introduce the biologist to a number of new imaging techniques that are now becoming avail able to supplement and even extend the information that can be obtained from the now-traditional electron microscope. Some of these techniques are still at the experimental stage, while others, such as cryoelectron microscopy and confocal optical microscopy, are at advanced stages of development and are already avail able commercially. This book represents a first attempt to quantify the progress made by bring ing together, in one volume, an account of the technical bases and the future potentials of the various techniques. Although the content is primarily aimed at biologists, microscopists in other fields should also find the information of interest and use. All the chapters are written by leading experts who are at the forefront of these exciting developments. About half the book is concerned with x-ray microscopy; the editors make no apology for this since they are both intimately involved with developments associated with this field and therefore view it, perhaps with bias, as being of the utmost importance.

For several decades the electron microscope has been the instrument of choice for the examination of biological structures at high resolution. Biologists have be come familiar with the techniques and pitfalls of sample preparation and with the interpretation of the images obtained. The purpose of this book is to introduce the biologist to a number of new imaging techniques that are now becoming avail able to supplement and even extend the information that can be obtained from the now-traditional electron microscope. Some of these techniques are still at the experimental stage, while others, such as cryoelectron microscopy and confocal optical microscopy, are at advanced stages of development and are already avail able commercially. This book represents a first attempt to quantify the progress made by bring ing together, in one volume, an account of the technical bases and the future potentials of the various techniques. Although the content is primarily aimed at biologists, microscopists in other fields should also find the information of interest and use. All the chapters are written by leading experts who are at the forefront of these exciting developments. About half the book is concerned with x-ray microscopy; the editors make no apology for this since they are both intimately involved with developments associated with this field and therefore view it, perhaps with bias, as being of the utmost importance."

A fundamental problem in cell biology is the cause of aging. The solution to this problem has not yet been obtained because, (l) until recently, it was not possible to image living cells directly. The use of low-energy (soft) X rays has made such imaging possible, perhaps thereby allowing the aging process to be understood and possibly overcome (a result that may well generate further social, moral, and ethical problems). Fortun ately this is not the only aspect of cell biology amenable to soft X-ray imaging, and it is envisaged that many less controversial studies--such as investigations of the detailed differences between healthy and diseased or malignant cells (in their natural states) and processes of cell division and growth-will be made possible. The use of soft X rays is not limited to biological studies-many applications are possible in, for example, fusion research, materials science, and astronomy. Such studies have only recently begun in earnest because several difficulties had to be overcome, major among these being the lack (for some purposes) of sufficiently intense sources, and the technological difficulties associated with making efficient optical systems. As is well known, the advent of dedicated synchrotron radiation sources, in particular, has alleviated the first of these difficulties, not just for the soft X-ray region. It is the purpose of this book to consider progress in the second."