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shminux comments on Plastination is maturing and needs funding, says Hanson - LessWrong
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Are you sure? If I recall correctly (it's been a long time), a typical ion channel consists of 10^4-10^6 atoms and is something like 1-10nm in size, which is about the same as the current 3D scan resolution, and it is reasonably easy to infer the type and abundance of channels from their location. In any case, even the current resolution is almost enough to identify channel location, and only a small increase in resolution would be enough to identify channel types.
No, I'm not sure. But I'm not talking about the limits of current read-out techniques, which will of course improve. I'm talking about the destruction of information by the process of plastination: chemical change of the membrane and replacement of almost everything else. Currently what is read is the shape of the membrane. The location, if not type, of an ion channel is probably readable from distortions of the membrame. They might be left intact, trapped by the membrane, readable by future techniques. But I wouldn't be terribly surprised if they are completely wiped out.
Most likely, we don't need to know, but can guess based on other details of the synapse.