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Nature 447, 138-140 (10 May 2007) | doi:10.1038/447138a; Published online 9 May 2007

The good, the bad and the ugly

Helen Pearson1

  1. Helen Pearson is a reporter for Nature based in New York.
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Imaging fluorescent molecules in live cells is revolutionizing cell biology. But a pretty image is not necessarily a good one, and many biologists are learning this the hard way, finds Helen Pearson.

The satellite imagery of Google Earth offers homeowners the chance to zoom in from outer space and hover above their rooftops. For biologists, a microscope gives a similarly exhilarating view of a cell's innards: the omnipotent eye of the nucleus, the bustling traffic of the cytoplasm and the elaborate architecture of the cytoskeleton.