Researchers have completed the world's first scan of a living cell membrane down to a nanoscale level. Its details could finally resolve a longstanding debate on how they function.

The research was carried out by a team of scientists from Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee, who used a mix of genetic and chemical labelling techniques to add an isotope of hydrogen to the membranes of living Bacillus subtilis cells.

The technique used to create this incredible image could fundamentally change how nanoscale structures are studied in living things.