Researchers at MIT’s George R. Harrison Spectroscopy Lab have detected tiny twitches and vibrations in the live membranes of individual cells and neurons by using a powerful and noninvasive imaging technique. The technique could be used in the future to create three-dimensional images, illuminating even finer activities within living cells.

The method uses an optical technique based on interferometry: a laser beam passed through a sample is compared with a reference beam of similar wavelength that is not passed through the cell. The time delay, or phase shift can then be used to map the cell features and motion on the scale of nanometers.