Schematic diagram of the unrolled blind-SIM algorithm. Credit: Zachary Burns Using artificial intelligence, engineers at the University of California San Diego have developed a new way to watch the inner workings of living cells in real time. The process both captures images that are twice as sharp as conventional microscopes and is fast enough to play as smooth video. The advance, published in Nature Communications , relies on an algorithm that transforms a once slow and computationally intensive process into one that produces reliable, high-quality images instantly and without introducing false details. It could make cutting-edge microscopy more practical for everyday research. The technique builds on a widely used imaging method called structured illumination microscopy (SIM), which enhances image detail by shining patterned light onto a sample and combining a small number of images.…