Monthly Archives: January 2015

Microscopes – old and new!

earlymicroscopeOld-microscopes

These are 18th century microscopes from a museum in Paris. Today we have much more sophisticated technology that allows the human eye to observe organelles within cells, viruses and even smaller objects. In the classroom we have light microscopes that allow light to shine through a thin section of tissue or groups of cells and stereo microscopes for observing whole specimens (small flowers, insects and three-dimensional objects). At high magnifications (100x), oil may be used to reduce the loss of light due to refraction, which increases the clarity of the image. In universities and research laboratories you may find more powerful microscopes, such as transmission or scanning electron microscopes. Phase contrast and fluorescence microscopes can also be used to observe different features within cells.

In this double lesson we will learn the different parts of the light microscope, observe plant and animal tissues and measure cells and some organelles within cells. Refer to Activity 1.2 and 1.3 in your Activity Manual.

Monash University has recently unveiled Australia’s most powerful microscope, which is capable of producing images of atoms and molecules.