Counting particles in cryo-electron microscopy may result in incorrect population estimates

Communications Biology 2026 Open access

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Authors: Luke Evans, Lars Dingeldein, Roberto Covino, Marc Aurèle Gilles, Erik Thiede, Pilar Cossio
DOI: 10.1038/s42003-026-09859-6
Cited by: 3
References: 19

Abstract

Counting particles is a common practice in estimating populations from cryo-electron microscopy data. Here, it is shown that counting particles is not robust to noise, whereas statistically rigorous population-estimation methods are more resilient and hold promise for future development. This comment delves into the need for statistically rigorous population estimation in cryo-electron microscopy. Examples are given illustrating the failure of particle counting and the robustness of principled techniques.

Fields of Study & Subjects

Advanced Electron Microscopy Techniques and Applications Electron and X-Ray Spectroscopy Techniques Force Microscopy Techniques and Applications

Publication details

Journal / source
Communications Biology
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Volume
9
Issue
1
Publication date
24 March 2026
Language
EN