Atomic force microscopy (AFM) is a potentially powerful tool for probing the structure of biological molecules. In this issue ( p. 902), Hinterdorfer and colleagues have come up with a new way of imaging antigenic sites on a surface, using an AFM tip with an antibody attached by a flexible tether. The method can be used to simultaneously acquire topographical and molecular recognition images, and so could eventually be used for assigning receptor sites to locations on topographical maps.