I fully agree with your point, but I think the &quot;picture of atoms&quot; is not a good supporting argument. The IBM image[1] is nothing more than a visualization of measurements including a good measure of artistic license. It has not much to do with <i>seeing</i> in the usual sense.<p>[1] <a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;researcher.watson.ibm.com&#x2F;researcher&#x2F;files&#x2F;us-flinte&#x2F;ibm.tif" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;researcher.watson.ibm.com&#x2F;researcher&#x2F;files&#x2F;us-flinte&#x2F;...</a>