A new method opens the door to the internal architecture of plankton

A major study by the University of Geneva and the European Molecular Biology Laboratory, published in the journal Cell, reveals the internal architecture of over two hundred species of plankton, an essential link in marine ecosystems. At the heart of this work is a microscopy technique that won the Cloëtta Prize in 2025, which physically enlarges cells without altering their structure. By "inflating" the samples, researchers gain access to a level of detail hitherto out of reach with conventional instruments.