In recent years a scientific revolution has taken place in which tools to study single molecules are used to dissect biological systems and their dynamics in unprecedented detail. Michigan faculty have combined their expertise in fluorescence video microscopy and optical tweezers to form the Center of Single Molecule Analysis that further pushes this envelope. Research interests within CoSiMA cover everything from proteins involved in misfolding diseases such as Parkinson’s to RNAs responsible for viral replication and the defense mechanisms of eukaryotic cells against them.