Science Lab

Optical contrast methods give the potential to easily examine living and colorless specimens. Different microscopic techniques aim to change phase…

Phase contrast is an optical contrast technique for making unstained phase objects (e.g. flat cells) visible under the light microscope. Cells that…

Differential interference contrast (DIC) microscopy is a good alternative to brightfield microscopy for gaining proper images of unstained specimens…

Hoffman modulation contrast has established itself as a standard for the observation of unstained, low-contrast biological specimens. The integration…

Fluorescence is widely used in microscopy and an important tool for observing the distribution of specific molecules. Most molecules in cells do not…

Molecules and atoms can exist in different quantum states. These states are dedicated to different energy levels; the quantum state with the lowest…

Polarization microscopy is routinely applied in material sciences and geology to identify minerals on the basis of characteristic refraction…

“Confocal Microscopy” refers to a particular optical microscope that allows recording optical sections. Optical sectioning is achieved in a confocal…

Fluorescence microscopy is a special form of light microscopy. It uses the ability of fluorochromes to emit light after being excited with light of a…

The most important drawback of single-photon and multiphoton confocal microscopy is the need to label the specimen. CARS (Coherent Anti-Stokes Raman…

In microscopy, depth of field is often seen as an empirical parameter. In practice it is determined by the correlation between numerical aperture,…

Manufacturers digital cameras race to outdo each other with ever-increasing numbers of megapixels. The world record for professional medium format…

Förster Resonance Energy Transfer (FRET) is a technique, which allows insight into the interactions between proteins or molecules in proximities…

This article explains how to avoid the phenomen of "empty magnification" in microscopy.

Until the middle of the 19th century, microscopes were hand-crafted custom instruments. At the time, it was not possible to predict the properties of…

For millennia, glass was admired for its beauty and the artful objects that could be created with it. With the rise of the exact sciences, however,…

The 17th century in Europe was marked by the Thirty Years' War (1618–1648). The population lived in constant fear and poverty. Marauding hordes…

Förster Resonance Energy Transfer (FRET) is a technique, which allows insight into the interactions between proteins or molecules in proximities…