The Speculist

Until very recently studying cells required a scientist to peer into a microscope in real time. This tended to give scientists a static view of cells. But understanding life as a process requires observation over time.

A computer system that automatically tracks the movements of proteins within a living cell has been developed by a team of biologists and computer vision experts. It could save researchers the hours often spent analysing microscope images by hand, to determine the way a cell works.

The system, called CellTracker, automatically analyses a series of still digital images captured through a microscope...

The system uses image recognition algorithms to identify the membrane marking the edge of a cell as well as the one enclosing the nucleus, which contains the cell's DNA. It can track the movements of these features in multiple cells simultaneously.

Developments like this on the cellular level and like Prof. Kim Tae-kook's MAGIC system on the molecular level will allow a whole new level of biological understanding. The Dark Ages are just about over.