A cell stethoscope

Microcantilevers are extremely sensitive springs commonly used in atomic force microscopy, where their response upon interaction with a sample’s surfaces enables characterization of its morphology. Microcantilever-based force sensors are promising for measuring weak forces, but precise and fast measurements of piconewton-level dynamic forces while maintaining immunity to electromagnetic interference in biological systems remain challenging.Tu and colleagues combined microcantilever-based force sensing with optical phase detection technology to address this challenge. The optical microcantilever was constructed from micro/nanofibres, which host an optical phase detection system. This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution Access options Access through your institution Access Nature and 54 other Nature Portfolio journals Get Nature+, our best-value online-access subscription $32.99 / 30 days cancel any time Learn more Subscribe to this journal Receive 12 print issues and online access $259.00 per year only $21.58 per issue Learn more Rent or buy this article Prices vary by article type from$1.95 to$39.95 Learn more Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout Explore related subjects Discover the latest articles and news in related subjects. Optical techniques Atomic force microscopy Author informationAuthors and AffiliationsNature Physics https://www.nature.com/nphys/Sonal MistryAuthorsSonal MistryView author publicationsSearch author on:PubMed Google ScholarCorresponding authorCorrespondence to Sonal Mistry.Rights and permissionsReprints and permissionsAbout this articleCite this articleMistry, S. A cell stethoscope. Nat. Phys. (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41567-026-03420-2Download citationPublished: 10 August 2026Version of record: 10 August 2026DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41567-026-03420-2Share this articleAnyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content:Get shareable linkSorry, a shareable link is not currently available for this article.Copy shareable link to clipboard Provided by the Springer Nature SharedIt content-sharing initiative