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Category Archives: Microscopy
Overcoming a Microscope’s Shallow Depth of Focus
One of the most frustrating aspects of imaging through a microscope is the shallow depth of focus, especially at higher magnifications. Now, thanks to the wonderful world of software, this problem can be virtually eliminated. Continue reading
Posted in Best Practices, Biology, Instrumentation, Microbiology, Microscopy, Research Tools
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A DIY Stereo-Zoom Microscope
A stereo-zoom microscope is a stereoscopic microscope in which the variation of magnification is continuous. What is the main advantage of such an instrument? It is to be able to adjust the magnification to suit yourself. Continue reading
Posted in Instrumentation, Invention, Microbiology, Microscopy, Optics, Projects
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A Field Guide to Ely’s Photo
At the end of my write-up on Ely Silk’s prize winning photograph, I suggested that he might give us a “tour” through the twelve photos that make up the larger composite image. I am pleased to report that Ely has obliged, and provided this explanation for our readers… Continue reading
Posted in Biology, Microbiology, Microscopy, Photography
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A Winning Photo
Last Friday I got an email from Ely Silk, a long-time supporter of amateur science and an outstanding practitioner himself. He contributed some wonderful microphotography to The Citizen Scientist back in the day. Continue reading
Posted in Amateur Science, Biology, Microbiology, Microscopy, Photography
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Merismopedia Mug Shot
Photo of cynaobacteria, genus Merismopedia. Continue reading
Posted in Biology, Microbiology, Microscopy, Photography
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New Petri Dish Gives Real-time Updates
Monitoring Petri dishes is not a particularly exciting aspect of microbiology. It is tedious and time-consuming Michael Elowitz, a professor of biology at Caltech explains, “With ePetri, it’s like getting continuous tweets from the cells rather than an occasional postcard.” Continue reading
Posted in Biology, Invention, Microbiology, Microscopy
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Bottled Biospheres
Making a self-sustaining closed environment is not necessarily trivial, even if it is a popular activity in science classrooms. I also believe that these kinds of experiments become deep exercises in environmental science, depending on how you engineer your environments. And engineer is the operative word here. Continue reading
Wanderings for August
In this month’s New Wanderings you will find a link to Jesus Hernandez’s web site where he describes how he made a knife blade using his DIY steel. Than, we’ll look at several quick and easy Laser Microscopes that anyone should be able to hack together. Continue reading
Posted in Microscopy, Space, Wanderings
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Studying Plankton
On family trips to the coast, one of my favorite activities was collecting samples of marine coastal plankton for study under the microscope after we got home. Continue reading
Posted in Biology, Marine Biology, Microscopy, Projects
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A DIY Scanning Electron Microscope
For fun and profit, I have built many different kinds of electronic and electromechanical device over the years in my shop. Throughout all of this time, I have always wanted to build a device that makes direct use of particle physics, and very recently completed this goal. I built a primitive scanning electron microscope (SEM)by combining power supplies that I purchased on eBay and machining parts from materials bought from McMaster-Carr and the local hardware store. Continue reading
Posted in General Interest, Microscopy, Physics
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