What advantage does TEM (transmission electron microscopy) provide over light microscopy for studying cell ultrastructure?
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: Resolution far greater than light microscopy, down to ~0.1 nm
TEM provides vastly higher resolution than light microscopy — on the order of tenths of a nanometer — allowing visualization of fine cell structures (membranes, organelles, ribosomes) not resolvable by light microscopy.
Keep practicing
More Ultrastructure of cells questions
- Which of the following correctly matches organelle and its primary function, based on ultrastructural knowledge?
- Which organelle would you expect to be sparse or small in a cell that does not engage in lipid synthesis or detoxification (e.g., mature re…
- Which ultrastructural region of a eukaryotic cell is continuous with the perinuclear space and forms an extensive network throughout the cy…
- Which ultrastructural observation would most strongly suggest a cell is highly metabolically active and producing large amounts of ATP?
- Which ultrastructural feature is most likely to be disrupted in a genetic defect impairing nuclear pore complex formation?
- What does the term “cell ultrastructure” refer to in histology and cell biology?