Microscopy


Microscopy

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Technique to study cells, tissues, and small organisms

Morphology

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Size, shape, and structure of cells, tissues, and small organisms

Zacharias Janssen

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Dutch maker of one of the earliest compound microscopes

Antonie van Leeuwenhoek

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Maker of simple microscopes with one lens

Light

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Visible electromagnetic radiation detected by the human eye

Optical Microscopy

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Uses glass lenses to magnify and focus light

Scanning Probe Microscopy

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Uses a mechanical probe to feel the surface of the specimen

Uses of Optical Microscopes

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Illuminate, magnify, generate contrast, resolve, and capture images

Principle of Optical Microscopy

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Uses lenses to focus light onto the specimen and collect the image

How Does a Light Microscope Work?

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Light is focused onto the sample and magnified through lenses

Components of Light Microscopy

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Light source, diaphragm, condenser, stage, focus controls, objectives, eyepiece, camera

Example Uses of Light Microscopy

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Determining cell presence, cancer stage, subcellular structures, molecules, and proteins

Magnification

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Combination of eyepiece and objective lenses

Resolution

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Minimum distance at which two distinct points can be seen

Numerical Aperture

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Measure of light-collecting and resolving power of a lens system

Refraction

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Bending of light between different media

Refractive Index

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Matching refractive indices to increase resolution

Limits of Resolution

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Anything smaller than 200 nm cannot be resolved using light microscopy

Fluorescence Microscopy

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Using specific spectra to detect fluorescent molecules

Epifluorescence Microscopy

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Floods the entire sample with light to capture both in-focus and out-of-focus light

Confocal Fluorescence Microscopy

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Exposes a specific part of the sample to light and uses a pinhole to focus emitted light

Electron Microscopy

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Uses electromagnetic/electrostatic lenses to magnify and focus electrons

Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM)

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Images thin samples by passing electrons through the sample

Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM)

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Images thicker samples by detecting emission of secondary electrons from the surface

Disadvantages of electron microscopes

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Bulkier, expensive, and cannot image live cells