The intrinsically high signal-to-noise ratio of atomic force microscop
y (AFM) permits structural determination of individual macromolecules
to, at times, subnanometer resolution directly from unprocessed images
, avoiding the conditions and possible consequences of averaging over
an ensemble of molecules. In this article, we will review some of the
most recent achievements in imaging single macromolecules with AFM. (C
) 1998 Federation of European Biochemical Societies.