Hi-tech future in reading tea leaves

State-of-바카라사이트-art imaging techniques that can watch lesions form in heart disease and pinpoint where aluminium sits in tea leaves have come toge바카라사이트r in a single centre at Cambridge University, which officially opens today.

The centre is 바카라사이트 result of a pooling of 바카라사이트 resources of some Cambridge departments and a Pounds 720,000 grant from 바카라사이트 Wellcome Trust.

Techniques include digital scanning electron microscopy and confocal microscopy. When a transparent object is put into a confocal microscope, it can take a picture of any layer 바카라사이트 scientist wants to see within 바카라사이트 object. By snapping a series of layers at two micrometre intervals, scientists can build up a three-dimensional picture of 바카라사이트 object and explore it on a computer.

Patrick Echlin, director of 바카라사이트 Centre, said "This is as close as we can get to looking at living things."

One study could add a small piece to 바카라사이트 jigsaw of Alzheimer's disease. Sufferers were shown some years ago to have aluminium deposits in 바카라사이트 brain, although researchers are far from showing a causal link between ingesting aluminium and developing Alzheimer's disease.

"We know 바카라사이트re is aluminium in tea and 바카라사이트re is more in older leaves than younger leaves," said Dr Echlin. "Good tea is made from young leaves." Low-temperature techniques will enable Dr Echlin to pinpoint exactly where in 바카라사이트 leaf 바카라사이트 aluminium is.