Credit: Sid Hastings/WUSTL Photos
Soon Goo Lee and Joseph Jez examine crystallization wells in the cold room of the Jez lab at Washington University in St. Louis. Each well holds a different solution of chemicals and, if they are lucky, one of the solutions will have coaxed a drop of protein hanging from a well lid to crystallize. Once the protein is “frozen” in this way, it can be “photographed” by X-ray diffraction.