By eliminating limitations of photobleaching, phototoxicity and auto-fluorescence background in super-resolution fluorescence microscopy, RIED provides a new way to continuously observe biological dynamics at the nanoscale for days. Rather than relying on optically controlled excitation, RIED uses reaction-tailored luminescence chemistry to define how luminescent signals are generated and leveraged, establishing an emerging class of chemistry-enabled, laser-free super-resolution microscopy. Ultimately, as the authors put it, “shining a unique, reaction-driven light on biological processes.”