- The atomic force microscope (AFM) is a type of scanning probe microscope used to image surfaces at the nanoscale. It measures forces between a sharp probe and the sample surface. - In contact mode, the AFM tip is in contact with the sample surface and repulsive forces are measured. In tapping mode, the tip lightly taps the surface to reduce lateral forces and damage. - The AFM has many applications in biology like imaging living cells, studying protein unfolding, measuring molecular interactions like DNA binding, and more. It can be used to map molecular recognition with single molecule resolution.