This is an article about the innovation of Light Microscopy that it can in fact see protein arrangement inside the cell. A new light microscopy technique that will allow them to determine the arrangement of proteins that formulate up the individual organelles, or structures, within a cell have been developed and applied by researchers at Howard Hughes Medical Institutes Janelia Farm Research Campus, the National Institutes of Health, and Florida State University.The microscope and the technology that make it possible are described in an article appearing on line. Eric Betzig, Ph.D, and Harald Hess, Ph.D while working as independent inventors and later as investigators at Janelia Farm, which subsequently supported their effort on the project, conceived the technique. The NIH also provided funding for the project. Drs. Betzig and Hess built the microscope and demonstrated the method at the NIH, while working with Jennifer Lippincott andSchwartz, Ph.D and her colleagues in the Cell Biology and Metabolism Branch of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. Also working on the project was Michael Davidson of the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory at Florida State University. Read the rest of this entry »
In the 1590, two Dutch spectacle makers, Zacharias and Francis Janssen, who combined two convex lenses in a tube to magnify objects, invented the first microscopes. Anton van Leeuwenhoek, a Dutchman in the 17th century, made hundreds of microscopes and published many detailed observations of a variety of microscopic organisms and structures. Because of this he is often credited with perfecting the first compound light microscopes. Read the rest of this entry »
Microscopy is any technique for producing visible images of structures or details too small to otherwise be seen by the human eye, using a light microscope or other magnification tool. It is often used more specifically as a technique of using a microscope. Microscopy has evolved with the development of microscopes. Hence there are three main branches of microscopy; optical, electron and scanning probe microscopy. Read the rest of this entry »
Light microscopy is very common in biology research with the use of the light microscope. Since the visible light of Light Microscopy is capable in detecting small objects and it has actually a wide range of features not known for many students and professors. The light microscope practically increases its cost as an instrument, along with its versatility and quality, resulting to unavailability to most academic programs. But no matter how rare Light Microscopes could be due to its price, it has been briefly said in this article that the use of such inexpensive microscopes for students can also be very helpful for children in performing school biology experiments.
The topic here on light microscopy describes the biggest challenges especially for a beginner microscopist upon viewing the smallest objects under the microscope. Getting the right magnification is needed when viewing these tiny creatures; this is usually the first concept by these young and bright mind beginner microscopists. And it’s a big challenge for these young Microscopists to view tiny living creatures under the microscope. First of all, obtaining a sufficient contrast to what is being viewed under the microscope may not be that easy, as well as to find the focal plane. To obtain a good resolution for such specimen and to recognize the subject upon seeing it are also part of these common challenges that can be actually encountered by those who view living things under the microscope. Read the rest of this entry »
The article provides the basic knowledge why light microscope is significant in the world of microscopy, though the importance of this microscope type is being overlooked from time to time by both students and teachers. However, due to expensiveness of light microscopes as their versatility and quality goes higher, many schools could not afford to buy the best instruments for their academic programs. The article specifically pointed out, aside from the type of microscope that a person is using, there other factors to be considered in viewing the object under the microscope. The likes of obtaining enough contrast, finding focal plane and among other factors play an important role in light microscopy. In addition, it also discusses a much better way of using the bright field microscope. Lastly, it gives out some helpful tips on how to take good care of the microscope. Read more about the article. Read the rest of this entry »
Human beings have always been visual animals. For the majority of our existence, we have relied mostly on our sight to find food and shelter. And now, with the rapid development of computers, multimedia, and cyberspace, our vision is becoming increasingly more important for interaction with our immediate environment and our world. The prime vehicle of this interaction is light. We really know what light is. For most of us, it is simply what we turn on to see at night. To give us better understanding about light it is just the right time to delve a little deeper into the concept of light, to understand a little more than just that which allows us to see. We will explore how light reflects and refracts, how we can use lenses and mirrors to play tricks on nature, how color allows us to create masterpieces of art, and how nature creates her own masterpieces of light. On our journey, hopefully we will come to understand more about the role of light and optics in our universe.
Over the past hundred years or so, physics experiments have demonstrated that light has a dual nature. In many instances, it is convenient to represent light as a particle phenomenon, thinking of light as discrete packets of energy that we call photons. Now in this way of thinking, not all photons are created equal, at least in terms of how much energy they contain. Each photon of X ray light contains a lot of energy in comparison with, say, an optical or radio photon. It is this energy content per photon that is one of the distinguishing characteristics of the different ranges of light described above. Even though it is not strictly correct, it is hard not to think of a beam of light as a collection of little light bullets all strung together in a row.
The parts of light microscope are being discussed in this article. The parts of the light microscope are the following:
The magnifier, which is lodged in a cavity formed partly by the cap, and by the silver cup or speculum, which is a quarter of an inch thick at its edge, and whose focus is about half an inch; in front of this again there is a disk of metal, three-eights of an inch in diameter, connected by a wire with a small knob; upon this disk the injected object is fastened, and is covered over with some kind of varnish which has dried of a hemispherical figure. Read the rest of this entry »
Sir Isaac Newton having discovered his celebrated theory of light and colors, was led to improve the telescope, and apply his principles most successfully to the construction of a compound reflecting microscope. On the 6th February 1672, he communicated to the Royal Society his designs of a microscope by reflection. It consisted of a concave spherical speculum of metal, and eye-glass which magnified the reflected image of any object placed between them in the conjugate focus of the speculum. He also pointed out the proper mode of illuminating objects by artificial light, as he describes it, of any convenient color not too much compounded, mono-chromatic. Read the rest of this entry »