The Machinery of Life

Imagine that we had some way to look directly at the molecules in a living organism. An X-ray microscope would do the trick, or since we’re dreaming, perhaps an Asimov-style nano submarine (unfortunately, neither is currently feasible). Think of the wonders we could witness firsthand: antibodies attacking a virus, electrical signals racing down nerve fibers, proteins building new strands of DNA. Many of the questions puzzling the current cadre of scientists would be answered at a glance. But the nanoscale world of molecules is separated from our everyday world of experience by a daunting million-fold difference in size, so the world of molecules is completely invisible.