STEM与日常科技·英语30篇（2）
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How Cryo-EM Reveals Protein Structures in Atomic Detail
冷冻电镜如何看清蛋白质
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Cryo-electron microscopy, or cryo-EM, freezes protein samples extremely fast to preserve their natural shape.冷冻电镜（cryo-EM）通过极速冷冻蛋白质样品，保持其天然构象。
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When flash-frozen in liquid ethane, proteins form a thin layer of vitreous ice instead of damaging crystals.在液态乙烷中速冻时，蛋白质形成一层薄薄的玻璃态冰，而非破坏性的晶体。
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Electron beams pass through this ice layer and scatter off atoms inside the protein molecules.电子束穿透这层冰，与蛋白质分子内部的原子发生散射。
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Computers then collect thousands of 2D projection images from different angles of the same protein.计算机随后从同一蛋白质的不同角度采集数千张二维投影图像。
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Using advanced algorithms, these images are aligned and reconstructed into a high-resolution 3D model.借助先进算法，这些图像被对齐并重构为高分辨率三维结构模型。
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Unlike X-ray crystallography, cryo-EM works even for large, flexible, or membrane-bound proteins.与X射线晶体学不同，冷冻电镜适用于大型、柔性或膜结合蛋白。
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This technique helped scientists visualize the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 within months of the pandemic’s start.该技术助力科学家在新冠疫情暴发数月内解析出SARS-CoV-2刺突蛋白结构。
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Researchers now use cryo-EM to design better drugs by seeing exactly where molecules bind to targets.研究人员如今利用冷冻电镜观察分子与靶点的精确结合位点，从而设计更优药物。
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The method earned its developers the 2017 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for revolutionizing structural biology.该方法因其彻底革新结构生物学，为其开发者赢得2017年诺贝尔化学奖。
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Because it avoids harsh chemical treatments, cryo-EM gives us truer pictures of how proteins function in real cells.由于无需苛刻化学处理，冷冻电镜能更真实地呈现蛋白质在活细胞中的功能状态。