A series of recent hardware and software developments have transformed cryo-electron microscopy (cryoEM) from a niche tool into a method that has become indispensable in structural and functional biology. Samples that are rapidly frozen are encased in a near-native state inside a layer of amorphous ice, and then imaged in an electron microscope cooled to cryogenic temperatures. Despite being conceptually simple, cryoEM owns its success to a plethora of technological developments from numerous research groups. Here, we review the key technologies that have made this astonishing transformation possible and highlight recent trends with a focus on cryo-electron tomography. Additionally, we discuss how correlated microscopy is an exciting and perpendicular development route forward in this already rapidly growing field. We specifically discuss microscopy techniques that allow to complement time-dependent information of dynamic processes to the unique high resolution obtained in cryoEM.

中文翻译：

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通过冷冻电镜对细胞过程的机械理解。

最近的一系列硬件和软件开发已将冷冻电子显微镜 (cryoEM) 从一个利基工具转变为一种在结构和功能生物学中不可或缺的方法。快速冷冻的样品以近乎天然的状态包裹在一层无定形冰中，然后在冷却至低温的电子显微镜中成像。尽管概念上很简单，cryoEM 的成功归功于众多研究小组的大量技术发展。在这里，我们回顾了使这种惊人转变成为可能的关键技术，并重点介绍了冷冻电子断层扫描的最新趋势。此外，我们讨论了相关显微镜如何在这个已经快速发展的领域中成为一条令人兴奋的垂直发展路线。