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This tool was invented in 80's and it is an amazing tool that enables sounding matter in nanoscale! Remember that in nanoscale the macroscopic laws don't apply to this order of magnitude. Quantum mechanics rules in this "new" very tiny, tiny world, and common sense is, completely, not welcome in this world.

I wonder if this tool could be used in flies on special structures, exempli gratia in ommatidia, ocelli and so on to discern very peculiar differences.
I mean I think that it is possible to use this microscope to distinguish among different species that are hard to split.

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Not sure AFM would be much use with such large structures as ommatidia, ocelli etc . My understanding is that it 'visualizes' structure more at a macromolecular level so one might be able to see structures about 1/100000000 of the width of average ommatidia!
That kind of resolution would make using a key 'interesting'
cheers
Adrian

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Just for curiosity. We can dive even more to the atomic level with the amazing Scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). Tunneling's concept came through quantum mechanics. Of course, it would be useless for the purposes of ID.

I think it is possible to "see" in AFM those peculiar structures with relevant interest for dipterans. At least there are some works like this one - Raman-atomic force microscopy of the ommatidial surfaces of Dipteran compound eyes

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Hi - I just noticed this old message (WAY BACK from January...). Anyone interested in seeing the full paper, drop me an email (as I am one of the authors!). This is a subject we are still working on!

Using it for splitting closely related species? Highly doubtful. Using it to explore submicron morphology and surface chemistry? Oh yeah!



Cheers,
Steve

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Okay if I drop a reply rather than an email?

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No problem - but I am not allowed to "post" it on a website, so can only email the PDF.

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NP and thx.

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wow. great! Of course I'm interested.