As reviewed in this column on previous occasions, the atomic force microscope (AFM) is steadily making headway as an instrument that can make important contributions to biologic observations. Although the AFM is capable of operating in an aqueous environment, relatively little use has been made of this property to examine cellular structures under conditions that resemble those in vivo. A breakthrough in this regard was recently made by Stefan Schneider, Kumudesh Sritharan, John Geibel, Hans Oberleithner, and Bhanu Jena. of Yale University and the University of Würzburg.