Just as a mould can be used to make a copy of a three-dimensional object, Dr Sharpless proposes to use biological targets as templates to guide the formation of their own perfect drugs.
Sometimes, standard two dimensional photos, even those taken by a 41-megapixel sensor, simply aren't enough to accurately depict a three dimensional object.
The equation smoothes out the irregularities of an object, transforming it mathematically into something that looks like a uniform three-dimensional sphere.