> There is no method for capturing a full 3D model in experiment 3D atom probe is getting there[1], though that's not at all appropriate for biological samples

> There is no method for capturing a full 3D model in experiment 3D atom probe is getting there[1], though that's not at all appropriate for biological samples. This is where you get a microscopic conical section of your sample and remove material one layer of atoms at a time using a laser and then detect the ions removed using a mass spectrometer. This gives a 3D reconstruction of your sample, which is incredibly useful for crystallography. [1] http://www.cameca.com/instruments-for-research/atom-probe.aspx http://www.cameca.com/instruments-for-research/atom-probe.as... Of course, you can also do tomography with STEM/TEM too, and reconstruct a 3D model that way. I've seen people do this with analytical EM so you get a 3D model colour-coded by composition, though this hasn't been at atomic resolution. > there are single photon X-Ray methods being developed that will get us extremely close to complete 3D models Do you have a link to some key papers? Sounds fascinating!