Identification of changes in tissue/cellular structure is a challenge when the specimens are thick due to the low penetration power of visible light. X-ray imaging has traditionally been restricted hard tissues but new methods make it possible to investigate soft tissue with well below sub-cellular resolution (see Nature Neuroscience volume 23, 1637–1643 (2020) for an example). It is also possible to map metal ions such as iron, potassium, calcium etc at similar resolutions allowing new insights into how disease/treatments impact ion balances. These methods develop rapidly and open completely new opportunities.

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