Microscopy

Microscopy is an umbrella term to describe techniques used to analyse small samples that cannot be viewed with the naked eye. There is a wide range of microscopy techniques and scientific instruments available that can be used depending on their applications. A microscope magnifies tiny objects or samples and can provide a wealth of vital information about their cell structure, contamination, parasites and so much more.

This hub will contain all of the information you need to know about microscopy and will include the latest news and fascinating research articles. Whether you are looking to expand your knowledge of compound microscopes or fluorescence microscopy, you will find it all here under featured articles and the latest interviews.

What is Microscopy?

The word microscope is derived from the Greek “mikros”, meaning small and, “skopein” meaning to see.

Microscopy and Artificial Intelligence

Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM): An Overview

Investigating the Intersection between Microscopy and Healthcare

Fluorescence Microscopy: An Overview

Using Scanning Electron Microscopy to Image SARS-CoV-2

Confocal Microscopy: An Overview

Electron Microscopy: An Overview

Using Electron Microscopy to Detect Viruses

Applications of Scanning Electron Microscopy

Uses of Microscopy in Forensics

What are Polarized Light Microscopes and How Do They Work?

See more featured articles »

Role of Microscopy in Ballistics

Applications of Polarized Light Microscopy

Phase-Contrast Microscopy: An Overview

Avoiding Cell Death in Fluorescence Microscopy

Photobleaching in Fluorescence Microscopy

TEM Imaging Modes

Visualizing the 3D Architecture of Tissues

What is Confocal Imaging?

The Determination of Post-Mortem Interval (PMI) Using Transmission Electron Microscopy

The Digital Evolution of Microscopy

What is FIB-SEM?

‘Staining’ of Biological Samples when Using Electron Microscopy: Why stain density matters

Why Size Matters in Microscopy

Light Microscopy Techniques in Virology: An Overview

Identifying Corpses Using Microscopy

What is Environmental Forensic Microscopy?

Imaging Techniques in Drug Discovery

Microscopy and Artificial Intelligence

Deep Learning in Fluorescence Microscopy

Optimizing Live Cell Imaging with FRET Microscopy

‘Staining’ of Biological Samples when Using Electron Microscopy: Why stain density matters

Applications of IVIS (In Vivo Imaging Systems)

Advances in Scanning Electron Microscopy

Microscopes in Forensic Epidemiology- An Overview

What is 3D X-Ray Microscopy?

TEM Imaging Modes

Imaging Nuclear Structures Using AFM

Advances in Fluorescence Microscopy

Cryo-Electron Microscopy: An Overview

Confocal Reflection Microscopy for Cell Migration Studies

Transmission Electron Microscopy: An Overview

How do Epifluorescence Microscopes Work?

What is High-Resolution TEM (HR-TEM)?

Applications of 3D X-ray Microscopy

Two-photon Microscopy Principles and Methodology

Advantages and Limitations of Fluorescence Microscopy

Optical Microscopy: An Overview

Light Microscopy Techniques in Virology: An Overview

Optimizing Live Cell Imaging with FRET Microscopy

Using Microscopy for Deep In Vivo Brain Imaging

Microscopy’s Involvement in Brain Imaging

Differentiating Tumors using Microscopy

Expansion Microscopy in Neurology

Scanning Helium Microscopy: An Overview

X-ray Microscopy: An Overview

Diagnosing Alzheimer's Using Microscopy

Intravital Kidney Microscopy: An Overview

Investigating the Applications of Meoscopy

What is Expansion Microscopy?

Live-Cell Imaging with Super-Resolution Microscopy

Understanding the Brain Through Electron Microscopy

How Do Spectrometer Accessories Elevate Instrument Capabilities?

Microscopy in Oncology Research: Visualizing Tumor Microenvironments

Latest Microscopy News and Research

Phages Form Unique 3D Shapes, Boosting Disease Detection

While preparing slides to be examined under a powerful microscope, a team of McMaster researchers who frequently work with bacteriophage viruses that consume bacteria had a pleasant and potentially very significant surprise.

22 Oct 2024

Researchers Discover GAME15's Role in Steroidal Compound Biosynthesis

Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology have identified GAME15 as a key protein that regulates the biosynthesis of both steroidal glycoalkaloids and steroidal saponins in plants of the genus Solanum.

21 Oct 2024

Research Sheds Light on Biofilm Bacteria Interactions and Competition

Biofilms -; slimy communities of bacteria -; grow on all sorts of surfaces: from glaciers and hot springs to plant roots, your bathtub and fridge, wounds, and medical devices such as catheters.

18 Oct 2024

Filamentous Bacteria Use Grappling Hooks and Cannons to Hunt

Countless bacteria call the vastness of the oceans home, and they all face the same problem: the nutrients they need to grow and multiply are scarce and unevenly distributed in the waters around them.

18 Oct 2024

Yeast's Survival Strategy Provides Clues for Targeting Cancer Cells

The discovery of a surprising way yeast used to brew beer can survive starvation could open the door to new treatments for cancer.

17 Oct 2024

Innovative Research Uncovers Hidden Factors in Oceanic Carbon Absorption

New Stanford-led research unveils a hidden factor that could change our understanding of how oceans mitigate climate change.

15 Oct 2024

Cell Division Variability Promotes Healthy Embryo Development

There is variability in when and how cells divide during the development of embryos. While researchers traditionally believed this variability was an obstacle that needed to be regulated, the Hiiragi group now found that it actually promotes healthy development.

14 Oct 2024

A Novel Mechanism for Apoptotic Cell Removal in Epithelial Tissues

In a recent discovery, a study team from Kyushu University in Japan has shed light on how the systems defend against illness and injury by identifying a calcium-based mechanism that is essential to the removal of dead cells.

10 Oct 2024

The Role of Yeast Ribosomes in Cellular Survival During Starvation

Researchers from EMBL Heidelberg and the University of Virginia School of Medicine have uncovered a fascinating mechanism by which cells respond to nutrient deprivation. This discovery holds intriguing implications for understanding cancer development.

10 Oct 2024

Scientists Map the Entire Brain of a Fruit Fly

UC Santa Barbara neuroscientists have reconstructed the entire anterior visual pathway of a fruit fly, a complex series of connections between the insect's eyes and the navigation center of its brain. With the help of artificial intelligence and manual proofreading, systems biologist Sung Soo Kim's research group and collaborators worked out the relationships between more than 3,000 neurons with unprecedented detail.

9 Oct 2024

How Comamonas Bacteria Transform Plastic Waste into Food

Researchers have long observed that a common family of environmental bacteria, Comamonadacae, grow on plastics littered throughout urban rivers and wastewater systems.

7 Oct 2024

Microbial Enzyme From Sewage Sludge Offers Hope for Plastic Waste Reduction

Plastic pollution is everywhere, and a good amount of it is composed of polyethylene terephthalate. This polymer is used to make bottles, containers and even clothing.

4 Oct 2024

Living Microbes Unearthed in 2-Billion-Year-Old Rock

Pockets of microbes have been found living within a sealed fracture in 2-billion-year-old rock. The rock was excavated from the Bushveld Igneous Complex in South Africa, an area known for its rich ore deposits. This is the oldest example of living microbes being found within ancient rock so far discovered.

4 Oct 2024

Mapping the Complex Structure and Function of CRISPR-Cas Protein Scissors

CRISPR-Cas systems help to protect bacteria from viruses. Several different types of CRISPR-Cas defense systems are found in bacteria, which differ in their composition and functions.

3 Oct 2024

Scientists Successfully Map the Entire Fruit Fly Brain

A team of scientists supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH)'s The BRAIN Initiative, including Davi Bock, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Neurological Sciences at UVM's Robert Larner, M.D. College of Medicine, recently made a substantial advancement in neurobiological research by successfully mapping the entire brain of Drosophila melanogaster, more commonly known as the fruit fly.

3 Oct 2024

Structural Discovery of Fanzor Proteins Offers New Directions in Genome Engineering

A revolution in biomedicine is currently underway, driven by the application of genome engineering tools such as the prokaryotic CRISPR-Cas9.

3 Oct 2024

Unraveling the Mysteries of Endosymbiotic Relationships

Endosymbiosis refers to a remarkable biological process where one organism resides within another. This unique arrangement is frequently advantageous for both organisms involved.

3 Oct 2024

The Evolutionary Secrets of Human Hearts

A team from the Max Delbrück Center's Hübner and Diecke Labs demonstrated the genetic differences between human and non-human primate hearts.

25 Sep 2024

A New Method to Correct Misplaced Proteins in Cells

Cells are highly controlled spaces that rely on every protein being in the right place. Many diseases, including cancers and neurodegenerative disorders, are associated with misplaced proteins. In some cancers, for instance, a protein that normally stands watch over DNA replicating in the nucleus is sent far from the DNA it is meant to monitor, allowing cancers to grow.

23 Sep 2024

Epigenetic Switch Found to Activate Genes in Embryos

Researchers led by the Institute of Molecular Biology have found that 5-formylcytosine (5fC), a DNA alteration, acts as an activating epigenetic switch to activate genes during the early stages of embryonic development.

19 Sep 2024