] British scientists are lobbying to build the world's most ] powerful microscope, an instrument so advanced that it ] can see individual atoms moving. ] ] The European Spallation Source (ESS) -- a type of ] instrument known as a matterscope -- would allow them to ] look at the growth of protein molecules in living human ] tissue or at the stresses deep within the wheel of a ] train or the wing of an aircraft. ] ] "This is on par with the Hubble telescope, but it's for ] looking at inner space," said Professor Bob Cywinski of ] Leeds University, which is backing the one billion pound ] (US $1.6 billion) project. ] ] A disused World War Two airfield in North Yorkshire has ] been earmarked for the matterscope's kilometer-long ] concrete tunnel and neutron research laboratories. ] ] "To look at it, you'd just see a mound of grass growing ] over the top and sheep wandering around," said Cywinski. Big science! w00t! Kilometer-long microscope in the works |