When researchers study biological processes in cells, it helps if they have nanoscale sensors to take measurements. One approach is to carefully build and embed sensors into cells. (For an example with nitrogen–vacancy centers, see the 2020 PT story “Nanodiamonds shine as subcellular thermometers .”) Another option is to exploit the biological machinery that’s already there. Because of advances in genetic engineering, researchers can assemble protein sensors in situ by manipulating the proteins’ DNA. Now Gabriel Abrahams and Harrison Steel, both at the University of Oxford, and their colleagues have engineered a fluorescent and magneto-responsive protein that has boosted magnetic-sensing capabilities. 1
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