Mechanics play a pivotal role in the development, progression, and metastasis of cancer. Unfortunately, an effective and reliable method of mechanical characterization of metastatic cancer has remained elusive. Until this point, available methods had destroyed the tissue sample while analyzing it. In a new study published on the bioRxiv* preprint server, a team at the University of Sheffield, UK, present the findings of its latest research prior to peer review that demonstrate the efficacy of a novel method of characterizing metastatic breast tumors with atomic force microscopy (AFM). Image Credit: Elizaveta Galitckaia/Shutterstock.com Paradoxical Evidence Regarding the Mechanical Properties of Breast Cancer