Overview
Over the past decade, numerous synchrotron facilities have been established throughout the world. The extraordinary and unique characteristics of synchrotron radiation—its brightness, collimation, and unlimited tunability—have opened up tremendous opportunities for the biosciences, most notably in the study of the structures, functions, and dynamics of biological objects. Based on lectures presented at the Fourth International Conference on Biophysics and Synchrotron Radiation (1992), this book cogently presents up-to-the-minute reviews and progress reports on the latest applications of synchrotron radiation to bioscience, biophysical, and medical research. The distinguished contributors address a variety of critical topics, including crystallographic studies on macromolecular structure, solution X-ray scattering, biology with neutron radiation, biological X-ray absorption, fine structure spectroscopy, X-ray beamlines and detectors, structural studies on muscle proteins, muscle contraction, X-ray microimaging, medical applications of synchrotron radiation (such as angiography and computerized tomography), and radiation biophysics. As an accessible source of current work in the field, this volume will be valued by biophysicists, biochemists, radiation biologists, and medical imaging personnel.