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.

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.

A Guide to Cryo-Electron Tomography

Cryo-electron tomography (CryoET) is used to resolve biomolecules within their cellular environment down to an unprecedented resolution below one nanometer.

Spirogyra algae (Conjugation), Transmitted Light Differential Interference Contrast.

A Guide to Differential Interference Contrast (DIC)

A DIC microscope is a widefield microscopy which has a polarization filter and Wollaston prism between the light source and condenser lens and also between the objective lens and camera sensor or…

A Guide to Darkfield Microscopes

A darkfield microscope offers a way to view the structures of many types of biological specimens in greater contrast without the need of stains.

A Guide to Phase Contrast

A phase contrast light microscope offers a way to view the structures of many types of biological specimens in greater contrast without the need of stains.

Ion Beam Milling Guide: Enhancing Surface Quality for High-Resolution Imaging and Analysis

In this article you can learn how to optimize the preparation quality of your samples by using the ion beam etching method with the EM TIC 3X ion beam milling machine. A short introduction of the…

Essential Guide to Ultramicrotomy

When studying samples, to visualize their fine structure with nanometer scale resolution, most often electron microscopy is used. There are 2 types: scanning electron microscopy (SEM) which images the…

EM Sample Preparation Coating, Etching and Fracturing

Sample Preparation for EM: A Practical Guide to Coating and Freeze-Fracturing

From coatings done in a low-vacuum sputter coating machine at room-temperature to those done in high-vacuum and even at cryogenic temperatures, Leica coating solutions cover a large range of needs.…

A Guide to Model Organisms in Research

A model organism is a species used by researchers to study specific biological processes. They have similar genetic characteristics to humans and are commonly used in research areas such as genetics,…