Precision in Brain Imaging Reveals Neural Connections

The process of ion milling allows for the careful removal of tissue from a fruit fly's brain, enabling detailed imaging of neural structures. The world's fastest scanning electron microscope, using 91 beams, captures multiple images simultaneously, although generating a complete image of a single brain still requires months of continuous operation. This technology ultimately produces millions of images that reveal intricate connections between neurons, highlighting the sophistication and slow nature of brain mapping.