Chemistry
Determining the Structure of a Molecule with X-Ray Crystallography
Quick fact
The first protein structure solved by X-ray crystallography was myoglobin, and the technique also revealed the double-helix structure of DNA – discoveries that earned multiple Nobel Prizes.
Why this is interesting
Think of trying to see the shape of a molecule – it's thousands of times smaller than the wavelength of visible light, so a regular microscope can't work. How can scientists capture an image of something so incredibly tiny? X-ray crystallography turns a crystal into a natural microscope that reveals every atom's position.