The world's first electron microscope allowed us to see atoms for the first time
Developed in 1931, the first electron microscope bypassed the physical limits of light to reveal a hidden universe, eventually allowing scientists to visualize the fundamental building blocks of matter.
German physicists Ernst Ruska and Max Knoll built the first electron microscope in 1931, realizing that beams of electrons have much shorter wavelengths than visible light. This breakthrough allowed researchers to see objects far smaller than a single cell, such as viruses and intricate molecular structures.
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