A new kind of microscopy that surprised the world was pioneered in Japan. Known as high-speed atomic force microscopy or "high-speed AFM," it succeeded in capturing the movement of living samples on a nanoscale level. For example, it helped researchers visually confirm the movement of specific proteins and genome editing, both of which had only been visualized before with computer graphics. High-speed AFM is now being used in research on viruses such as influenza, and is expected to lead to the development of new vaccines. In this episode, we will learn how high-speed AFM was developed, as well as the latest research being conducted with it. Then in our J-Innovators corner, we will meet a Takumi who developed a biomaterial technology that enables concrete to fix its own cracks.

[J-Innovators]
Creating Self-healing Concrete with Biomaterials