The first steps in solving a jigsaw puzzle can be among the most tedious. You pour all of the pieces onto your table, then make sure all the pieces are face up. You may even group the pieces into similar sets—all of the outside edges together, everything that's blue. Only then do you start assembling the big picture.

Structural biologists often work through similar steps. Using a transmission electron microscope to pass a beam of electrons through a specimen, researchers capture images of biological particles approaching atomic scale. With enough views of the particle—hundreds, representing tens of thousands of particles—scientists can build three-dimensional models of the particles using two-dimensional microscopic images. But creating and improving the quality of these 3D models using 2D microscopic images is difficult and even more labor-intensive than getting ready to put together your jigsaw puzzle.

Researchers at the National Center for Macromolecular Imaging in front of their new Jeol 3000SFF microscope, which will allow them to collect data with near atomic resolution. Left to right: Phil Baldwin, Wah Chiu, Steve Ludtke, and Hong Zhou.