Scientists have combined lattice light-sheet microscopy (LLSM) with adaptive optics (AO) to capture high-resolution 3D movies of cells deep within living systems. The AO-LLSM microscope enables cells to be viewed in their native multicellular environments, under as gentle illumination as possible, with minimal external perturbation. The microscope could create new opportunities to study the diversity of intracellular dynamics, extracellular communication, and collective cell behavior across different cell types, organisms, and developmental stages.