The injector shoots tiny protein crystals into the beam of X-ray pulses. Per experiment, it requires only a few milligrams of the precious crystals. (Photo: Paul Scherrer Institute/Mahir Dzambegovic)
Some of the fastest processes in our body run their course in proteins activated by light. The protein rhodopsin sees to it that our eyes can rapidly take in their ever-changing surroundings. Free-electron X-ray lasers such as SwissFEL at the Paul Scherrer Institute PSI now make it possible for the first time to catch such processes in flagranti. Free-electron X-ray lasers generate extremely short and intense pulses of X-ray light. Currently there are only two such facilities in operation, worldwide. An international team under the leadership of the PSI has now successfully shown how the ultrafast processes by which proteins do their work can be studied with free-electron X-ray lasers. As a model organism, they used a simple microbe that can convert light into chemical energy. The researchers report their results in the scientific journal Nature . Sitting in a sidewalk cafe, watching people stroll by: Most of us are unaware that complex processes are constantly taking place in our body to make seemingly simple perceptions such as sight possible in the first place. There's a reason why, nevertheless, vision appears to be an immediate experience that belongs to us directly: The processes involved take place so rapidly that we simply don't notice them. We do notice the blink of an eye, but biological processes can be up to a billion times faster, particularly if light is involved. Testing methods on a simple model
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