Scientists Arm Cells With Tiny Lasers

sciencehabit writes: Scientists have implanted tiny lasers within living cells. A team of physicists and biologists have coaxed a cell to envelop a tiny plastic sphere that acts like a resonant cavity—thus placing a whole laser within a cell (abstract). The spheres are seasoned with a fluorescent dye, so that a zap with one color of light makes them radiate at another color. The light then resonates in the sphere, triggering laser action and amplifying itself. So although demonstrated only in cultured cells, the technique might someday be used to track the movement of individual cells, say, within cancerous tumors.

Comments

Frickin' Lasers!

[wcrowe]

Come on people! All I wanted were some cells with frickin' lasers on them!

Warning:

[fahrbot-bot]

Do not look into microscope with remaining good eye.