Despite the long development of light microscopy, it remains challenging to visualize fragile living systems without labeling or specific sample preparation. Taking hint from the supercontinuum generation in ultrafast laser engineering, we generated ‘supercontinuum’ fluorescence from unlabeled live samples before nonlinear phototoxicity onset. Our supercontinuum intrinsic fluorescence imaging (SCIFI) identified drug cytotoxicity in real-time, demystified embryogenesis before/after implantation, performed omics-like cell phenotyping or tissue histopathology, tracked freely moving small organisms, scanned brain area for targeted patching, and provided new insights on photosynthesis. This demonstration paves the way for a mobile microscopy facility to freely exploit molecular biology across life sciences.
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