Brilliance of X-rays

Many biological materials are non-crystalline and different techniques are used to study them. Research on the SRS is helping scientists understand how muscle works at the atomic level and how changes in the molecular arrangement of optical tissues - lenses and corneas - leads to cataracts and other visual impairments.

X-ray absorption techniques have recently confirmed the way in which iron is stored in the brain. This research may throw a new light onto Parkinson's and other degenerative diseases, as Parkinson's sufferers are known to have an increased iron content in the brain tissue.

Common materials like polymers and foodstuffs can also be studied in detail, helping us understand how manufacturing processes can influence the properties or texture of the final product.

Using a microtome to cut tissue samples into fine slices, ready for investigation on the SRS.