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Recently we heard from folks in several locations who wanted to offer microscopic hair analysis for their customers. This make sense because hairs are pretty narrow so any kind of visual analysis requires a microscope. These entrepreneurs want to provide consultations based on their microscopic analysis of hairs that customers provide them. Being microscope experts, we thought we would help these …

The American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists (AATCC) has developed numerous standards for the performance of test methods related to the textile industry. AATCC Test Method 20 and Test Method 20A are two methods dealing with fiber analysis which require the use of a microscope. The methods themselves are quite fascinating. Method 20 has all sorts of qualitative procedures to help ide …

When setting up a compound microscope, it is important to optimize the illumination in order to produce clear and crisp images. There are four areas that should be considered when setting up the microscope illumination. #1 - Microscope Rheostat The microscope rheostat control can be found on the side of the compound microscope body. It will typically be a knob that is turned clockwise in order to …

A microscope creates a circular image, as seen through the eyepieces. Microscope digital cameras have a sensor that creates a rectangular shaped imaged. When connecting a microscope camera to the microscope, a c-mount adapter is used. C-Mount adapters are available with different magnifications (1x, 0.65x, 0.5x, 0.35x) and pairing these de-magnifying adapters with camera image sensor sizes (1/3", …

The microscope beam splitter is found on most trinocular microscopes. The beam splitter controls the light that travels up to the camera on the trinocular port. Depending on the type of work you perform with the microscope, you may want a different type of beam splitter. (Some trinocular microscopes do not have a beam splitter and in that case light is being sent 50% to the eyepieces and 50% to th …

Microscope World recently helped the Alaska Department of Fish & Game get a microscope for use at their William Jack Hernandez Sport Fish Hatchery located in Anchorage. This fish hatchery is a fully enclosed, recirculating aquaculture system (RAS) facility that uses technology to conserve water and reduce heating demand for the production of Chinook and coho salmon, rainbow trout, and Arctic c …

Microscope World recently took an old vinyl record and put it under a metallurgical microscope to see what the grooves looked like at high magnification. This first vinyl record image was captured at 100x magnification using reflected light through the objective lens.  A 6.3 megapixel microscope digital camera was used to capture the images. Any guesses as to which album this is?! This final …

Viewing paramecium under a microscope is a fun project for both kids and parents. Using a student biological microscope (also known as a compound microscope), you can grow some paramecium and watch as they swim around just like the video below. In order to grow your paramecium, take a clean jar (an old peanut butter jar or jam jar will work) and fill it with some mud, a lot of grass and any hay y …

Developmental biology is the study of how organisms including plants and animals, grow and develop. This includes the biology of regeneration, metamorphosis, asexual reproduction, the growth and differentiation of stem cells in the adult organism as well as the genetic control of cell growth and differentiation to form tissues, organs and whole organisms. These organisms include C. elegans, Drosop …

There are three types of reproductive medicine that use microscopes for fertility treatments in both humans and animals and each uses some different microscopy techniques. In all three reproduction techniques the eggs (ova) are removed from a female and fertilized outside of the female's body (in vitro) with sperm. Fertilized eggs (zygotes) are then implanted into the same or another female's uter …

Mushrooms, also known as fungi or toadstools, are the spore-bearing fruiting body of a fungus. The mushroom typically grows above ground or on top of its food source (on a log, or out the side of a mossy tree). A mushroom has a stem and a cap along with gills. The gills of the mushroom are often examined under a microscope to identify the mushroom classification. The terms mushroom and toadstool d …

Microscope World recently helped Loveland High School in Loveland, Ohio furnish their lab with WiFi digital microscopes. The students use Chromebooks during class and can view live images from their microscope, as well as capture images to use in reports. The teachers can also view images from their students' microscopes. The high school lab setup includes the Richter Optica UX-1T trinocular micro …

The Pap smear is a screening procedure that tests for cervical cancer. This test checks for the presence of precancerous or cancer cells on the cervix, the opening of the uterus. Women typically are advised to start getting Pap tests around age 21. During a Pap smear cells from the cervix are examined for abnormal growth. There are a couple different methods for Pap smear testing.In a traditional …

In the chemical industry and when manufacturing plastic goods examining materials under the microscope is of utmost importance. Polymers can be examined in their primary forms, or once they have been made into industrial and consumer products. Plastic parts and structural components play a large role in industries including aerospace, automotive, construction and medical equipment. Crystallization …

The Zeiss Stemi 305 stereo zoom microscope is used for a variety of applications including educational lab work, botany, zoology, mineralogy, geology, veterinary medicine, PCB electronics, entertainment electronics, micro technology including manufacturing, inspection and repair of thick film or hybrid circuits, car industry inspection and dental lab inspection. The Stemi 305 has a variety of illu …