How Microscopes Are Helping to Aid the World

Microscopes evolved as various scientists, including Galileo, explored lens and their configurations until refined instruments appeared in the mid-19th century. Today, even basic microscopes are high-quality instruments, while the electron microscope has opened up whole new worlds for researchers.

Microscopes in Biology

• Without microscopes, the study of micro living organisms is an inaccessible world. Under the microscope, though invisible to the naked eye, minute organisms such as cells, bacteria and other forms of life become visible. With microscopes, biologists, doctors and scientists discover diseases and their cures, explore cellular life and have been able to solve many organic puzzles.

Confocal Microscope

• Instruments such as the confocal microscope, which creates high-resolution 3-D images, are refined enough to make them easy to operate and powerful enough to satisfy the needs of most researchers. Important in biomedical research, the confocal microscope allows scientists to peer deep into cells, study proteins and are helping solve many scientific and medical riddles.

Electron Microscope

• The electron microscope uses a beam of electrons to exam tiny objects. It allows scientists to determine the object's surface, its shape, size and strength as well as what it is made of and the arrangement of its atoms. The ability to study a specimen on such a minute scale permits researchers to understand and solve highly complex medical and biological problems.