Coronavirus’ covert defense mechanisms discovered by helium ion microscopy

Visualizing the SARS-CoV-2 virus has been integral to discovering ways of combating the disease in the past year; using a helium ion microscope means this can be done with even more clarity.    A team of scientists from the  Faculty of Physics at Bielefeld University (Germany) have successfully used a helium ion microscope to image the SARS-CoV-2 virus. This method of imaging produces much clearer images than electron microscopy due to the lack of a thin metal coating (necessary in electron microscopy), which can interfere with visualizing the reactions between the virus and the host cell.    “The study shows that the helium ion microscope...