Science Lab

Learn. Share. Contribute. The knowledge portal of Leica Microsystems. Find scientific research and teaching material on the subject of microscopy. The portal supports beginners, experienced practitioners and scientists alike in their everyday work and experiments. Explore interactive tutorials and application notes, discover the basics of microscopy as well as high-end technologies. Become part of the Science Lab community and share your expertise.

Example of a Leica stereo microscope, Ivesta 3, with integrated digital camera which can be used as a dissecting microscope.

Selecting the Right Dissecting Microscope

Learn how you can enhance dissection for life-science research and education with a microscope that ensures ergonomic comfort, high-quality optics, and easy access to the specimen.

Spherulitic crystals of hippuric acid, which were imaged with a Leica microscope using crossed polarizers, showing so-called Maltese crosses.

A Guide to Polarized Light Microscopy

Polarized light microscopy (POL) enhances contrast in birefringent materials and is used in geology, biology, and materials science to study minerals, crystals, fibers, and plant cell walls.

A Guide to Neuroscience Research

Are you working towards a better understanding of neurodegenerative diseases or studying the function of the nervous system? See how you can make breakthroughs with imaging solutions from Leica…

A Guide to OCT

Leica Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) systems support ophthalmologists, ophthalmic surgeons, and researchers with easy-to-use, high-quality imaging technology.

A Guide to Zebrafish Research

For the best result during screening, sorting, manipulation, and imaging you need to see details and structures to make the right decisions for your next steps in research. Known for outstanding…

Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma imaged with Cell DIVE. Analysis done by Aivia.

A Guide to Spatial Biology

What is spatial biology, and how can researchers leverage its tools to meet the growing demands of biological questions in the post-omics era? This article provides a brief overview of spatial biology…

Microscope equipped with a K7 color CMOS camera for life-science and industry imaging applications.

Technical Terms for Digital Microscope Cameras and Image Analysis

Learn more about the basic principles behind digital microscope camera technologies, how digital cameras work, and take advantage of a reference list of technical terms from this article.

Stereo microscopes are often considered the workhorses of laboratories and production sites.

Key Factors to Consider When Selecting a Stereo Microscope

This article explains key factors that help users determine which stereo microscope solution can best meet their needs, depending on the application.

Transverse histological cut of a rabbit tongue. 50 Mpixels images (2326 µm x 1739 µm) in 14 x 18 tiles. Lifetime gives an additional contrast that allows to differentiate different structures in histological stainings.

A Guide to Fluorescence Lifetime Imaging Microscopy (FLIM)

The fluorescence lifetime is a measure of how long a fluorophore remains on average in its excited state before returning to the ground state by emitting a fluorescence photon.