microscope
Latest
Electron microscopes stop thieves from covering their tracks
Ask the police and they'll tell you that serial numbers seldom help catch thieves -- dedicated crooks are usually smart enough to file off those digits so that stolen items can't be linked to a crime. Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology might have just found a way to recover those numbers and stop criminals in their tracks, however. Their new technique uses electron microscopes to spot damaged crystal patterns in steel, revealing characters even when they've been polished into oblivion. Current recovery approaches (like acid etching or electrolytic polishing) only sometimes work, and frequently provide faint clues at best -- the microscope produces clear evidence that you could use to convict someone in court.
Lens-free microscope lets almost anyone spot cancer
High-powered microscopes are useful for spotting cancer and other diseases in cells, but they're expensive and complicated. Your local physicians probably won't have a microscope on hand, and you'll probably need at least some skill to use one. However, UCLA scientists have developed a lens-free microscope that could put this tissue scanning power in the hands of many more people. The device creates a holograph-like image of your sample using a CCD or CMOS sensor (like that from your camera) to detect shadow patterns cast by a light source, and reconstructs them in software to present what you'd actually see. The result is a microscope that's just as effective as its conventional optical brethren, but should also be much cheaper and simpler.
Even plant cells can be art if seen under a microscope
Microscopes are magical portals to worlds too small to be seen with the naked eye -- to Rob Kessler, chairman of Arts, Design and Science at the University of Arts London, those "worlds" are plant cross-sections. Kessler has been observing plant cells and the patterns they make under the microscope for the past 10 years, as well as capturing their beauty on camera using a variety of microscropic techniques. His pictures (including the Primrose x-section above) look so vivid and jewel-like, because he sometimes uses as many as 500 shots to create a single composition.
Scientist trumps his own work three weeks after winning the Nobel Prize
If you'd just won the Nobel Prize for Chemistry, no-one would blame you if you took a quick trip to Disneyland, or at least a few days to catch up on Orange is the New Black. Eric Betzig, however, had other plans, since shortly after he was told he was receiving the accolade for revolutionizing the world of microscopy, he was ready to do it all over again. Put (very) simply, his first achievement, PALM, was a microscope capable of observing cellular interactions in unprecedented detail. The downside to the technique, however, was that it couldn't take shots of fast-moving cells, produced images with a halo around them and the light used to take the pictures was toxic to the cells being studied.
Turn your iPhone into a high-power digital microscope for around $10
There are few things I like more than seeing someone come up with a startlingly low-cost solution to an otherwise expensive problem. Instructables user Yoshinok has done just that by turning a few pieces of Plexiglas, a laser pointer and an iPhone into a highly capable digital microscope. The entire project cost around US$10 (not including the iPhone itself, of course), but the results are downright amazing. Using the focus lens from a cheap laser pointer as the magnification device, Plexiglas slides to support the phone and items being inspected, and a wooden base, the setup is capable of 175x magnification, which is apparently enough to spot individual plant cells. Wow. Yoshinok appears to be using an iPhone 4 or 4s in the instructional video, but any iPhone (or even iPad) would likely work just as well. He notes that the microscope stands could be used in schools that don't have budgets for something as expensive as a digital microscope -- and given the number of students walking around with smartphones these days, it makes a lot of sense.
Researchers turn standard microscope into billion-pixel imaging beast
A team of researchers at the California Institute of Technology, led by Professor Changhuei Yang, have figured out a way to crank their microscopy up to 11. Usually, scientists are forced between a rock and a hard place: they can have high res images of small areas or low resolution pictures of larger fields. Using a strategy known as Fourier ptychographic microscopy, Yang's team was able to computationally correct a standard microscope's low res imagery, producing a billion-pixel picture. By adding an LED array to an existing microscope -- the only hardware tweak their $200 system calls for -- the researchers were able to stitch together a 20X quality image from a 2X optical lens. The information gleaned from the LED lights was corrected entirely on a computer, making it an exceptionally cost effective way to create high res microscopic images. The team's report, published by the journal Nature Phototonics, can be read in full at the source link below.
OLPC working on XO laptop telescope and microscope peripherals (hands-on)
So much of what children are taught in the sciences amounts to abstractions. It's a shame, really -- concepts of the universe are so much easier to extrapolate when we can see them for ourselves. OLPC's looking to give the classrooms it serves more access to the very big and very small with two new attachments that we had the opportunity to check out on a recent visit to the company's Miami office. First off is a telescope that secures to the side of its XO-4 laptop with a vice grip, utilizing the device's built-in camera. There's also a microscope that sits atop a swiveling base and plugs directly into one of the laptop's USB ports. Both peripherals run on Fedora-based software designed by the company. OLPC will be bringing these out as soon as it can get the price down through manufacturing. For the France-designed telescope, the company is aiming for $10, with a potentially lower price on the microscope. The idea is to get one of each in a classroom, rather than the one-to-one approach of its XO line.
Extreme closeup! IBM makes 'world's smallest movie' using atoms (video)
After taking a few shadowy pictures for the scientific world's paparazzi, the atom is now ready for its closeup. Today, a team of IBM scientists are bypassing the big screen to unveil what they call the "world's smallest movie." This atomic motion picture was created with the help of a two-ton IBM-made microscope that operates at a bone-chilling negative 268 degrees Celsius. This hardware was used to control a probe that pulled and arranged atoms for stop-motion shots used in the 242-frame film. A playful spin on microcomputing, the short was made by the same team of IBM eggheads who recently developed the world's smallest magnetic bit. Now that the atom's gone Hollywood, what's next, a molecular entourage?
Visualized: Nikon's Small World microscope photography contest winners
3D render? The latest submission to deviantART? No, that's a microscopic photo of the blood-brain barrier in a live zebrafish embryo taken by Dr. Jennifer Peters and Dr. Michael Taylor at 20X magnification, and it's the latest winner of Nikon's annual Small World Photomicrography Competition. Not surprisingly, the runners-up in the contest (drawn from some 2,000 submissions) are just as impressive -- hit the links below for a look at all of them. Those interested in having themselves featured next year (and taking home up to $3,000 in Nikon gear) have until April 30th to get their submissions in for the next competition.
Scientists generate 281-gigapixel cell map using electron microscope
Electron microscopes can produce incredibly detailed and even 3D views of sub-cellular structures, but often at the cost of losing the bigger picture. Researchers at Leiden University in the Netherlands, however, have leveraged a technique called virtual nanoscopy that enables researchers to observe the whole of a cell and its intricate details in a single image. With the method, the team stitches together nanometer resolution photographs of what's gone under the scope to create a map with adjustable zoom a la Google Maps. Their study created a 281-gigapixel image (packed with 16 million pixels per inch) of a 1.5-millimeter-long zebrafish embryo. If you'd like to take a gander at the ultra-high resolution fish or read up on the group's findings for yourself, check out the source links below.
France's ANDRA developing a million-year hard drive, we hope our badly-written blogs live in perpetuity
Us humans have been quick to embrace digital technology for preserving our memories, but we've forgotten that most of our storage won't last for more than a few decades; when a hard drive loses its magnetism or an optical disc rots, it's useless. French nuclear waste manager ANDRA wants to make sure that at least some information can survive even if humanity itself is gone -- a million or more years, to be exact. By using two fused disk platters made from sapphire with data written in a microscope-readable platinum, the agency hopes to have drives that will keep humming along short of a catastrophe. The current technology wouldn't hold reams of data -- about 80,000 minuscule pages' worth on two platters -- but it could be vital for ANDRA, which wants to warn successive generations (and species) of radioactivity that might last for eons. Even if the institution mostly has that pragmatic purpose in mind, though, it's acutely aware of the archeological role these €25,000 ($30,598) drives could serve once leaders settle on the final languages and below-ground locations at an unspecified point in the considerably nearer future. We're just crossing our fingers that our archived internet rants can survive when the inevitable bloody war wipes out humanity and the apes take over. [Image credit: SKB]
Beam-switching endows electron microscopes with 3D, added gross-out
Having haunted our curtailed childhoods with tiny, disgusting horrors, the scanning electron microscope is about to get a new lease of life in 3D. Researchers in Japan have figured out how to deflect the electron beam rapidly to give two slightly shifted views, so real-time 3D images can now been scoped on a monitor without even the need for eye-wear. Current gear can only muster flat images, so it's always been painfully slow for scientists to extract convexity and other details from objects. Though the 3D-version is lower-res than the old way, at least now all those slimy mandibles and egg sacs will be right there in your face. Nice.
Under the microscope: Samsung Galaxy S III's HD Super AMOLED display
By now you should already know that the brand-spanking-new Samsung Galaxy S III sports a 4.8-inch HD Super AMOLED display. That's right: no "plus" here, which means this 720p panel is featuring the same old PenTile RBGB pixel arrangement -- just like the 4.65-inch version on the Galaxy Nexus and the Galaxy S II HD LTE. Needless to say, this is again pure ammunition for the folks over at LG; but as we've mentioned before, HD Super AMOLED's superb contrast and higher-than-before pixel density outweigh its shortcomings in most cases. For now though, let's examine these sub-pixels with a 230x zoom USB microscope and compare them with other phones that we have in hand. Starting off with the HTC One X's 720p SLCD 2 above, you can see how its denser sub-pixels produce a finer picture, but ultimately it's still behind HD Super AMOLED when it comes to contrast, especially with black. Read on for more comparisons.
Under the microscope: a closer look at the new iPad
Sure, you can take us on our word that the new iPad really is that much sharper than its predecessor -- or, you can opt for a more scientific approach, and peek at that Retina display under a microscope. Our own Richard Lai slid his 64GB WiFi iPad under a USB scope, going far beyond the naked eye for a close-up look at those gorgeous high-density subpixels. As you can imagine, it's impossible to distinguish one dot from the next when you're looking at a cool three million pixels packed tightly within a 9.7-inch slab, but that view clears up quite nicely under a 230x microscope. What you'll see is that those tiny red, green and blue dots are now significantly smaller, when compared to the iPad 2. That means text that's easily legible without a pinch, smooth icons and far sharper pictures. There's a dramatic improvement for sure, but is that new display alone enough to justify the upgrade for you? A quick click through the gallery below should help clear things up.Richard Lai contributed to this report.
The new iPad's display compared to others under the microscope
Image: Shutterstock.com I keep squinting at my new iPad, trying to see the pixels, but no dice. Luckily, Ignore the Code rounded up some microscope imagery of the new iPad's screen and compared them to other devices. Something that surprised me was the quality of the PlayBook's screen. But the density of the Retina Display is truly something you have to see for yourself in action -- it is magical. Check out the images at Ignore the Code if you're interested in how those displays look so good.
MacRumors all but confirms iPad 3 will have Retina Display
We have no idea how they got hold of one, but MacRumors has apparently sourced the display component for the next-gen iPad and put it under the microscope -- literally. In a deja vu moment from roughly two years ago when the iPhone 4 was confirmed to have a Retina Display, Mac Rumors put the alleged iPad 3 display under a microscope, counted up the pixels, and compared it to the existing display on the iPad 2. Although the display was unpowered, microscopic examination still revealed the physical components of the pixels. When considering the same areal cross section of the display, the current iPad's LCD contains a grid of 2 x 2 pixels, 4 pixels total; this new display features a 4 x 4 grid for a total of 16 pixels. This much higher pixel density on the LCD, which is the same 9.7-inch diagonal size as the one on the iPad 2, is consistent with a display featuring exactly double the linear resolution of the existing iPad display. In early 2011, various rumors pointed to the iPad 2 featuring a Retina Display upgrade; however, no actual parts featuring a 2048 x 1536 resolution ever surfaced, and the iPad 2 launched with the same 1024 x 768 resolution as its predecessor. The iPad 3 Retina Display rumors resurfaced this year, but this is the first time anyone has provided physical evidence of such a display. The usual caveats apply: this display may be nothing more than a leaked prototype or even an extremely elaborate fake, and the iPad 3 may yet launch without a double-resolution Retina Display. However, at this point that scenario is looking unlikely indeed, and with MacRumors' new evidence, we consider the iPad 3's Retina Display all but confirmed now.
SkyLight combines iPhones and microscopes
We've seen lots of photo accessories that let you add filters and lenses to your iPhone, but SkyLight is the first to let you add a full-fledged microscope. It's a platform that attaches to a microscope and aligns the phone's camera with the eyepiece. You can view the microscope image on your phone and take photographs. It's perfect for classroom usage, for researchers who need high-quality images in their published papers and for clinicians who can take a photo and send it off for analysis. SkyLight started as a Kickstarter project that reached its $15,000 funding goal last month. It was available for a preorder price of US$60 and will ship in March. It includes a generous five for one incentive plan that'll donate one SkyLight to global health or educational purposes for every 5 SkyLights purchased. You can read more about the accessory and its inspiration at the SkyLight website. [Via Springwise]
UCLA creates portable microscope that uses holograms, not lenses
Instead of lugging a heavy microscope into the field, doctors and nurses in remote regions may have a more portable choice -- a lightweight microscope that replaces lenses with holograms. Researchers at UCLA announced a prototype dual-mode microscope that's lightweight, costs between $50 and $100 to produce and is similar in size to a banana. Like a hologram that uses interfering rays to create an image, this device shines light on a sample where its sensor chip (apparently also found in iPhones and BlackBerrys) and a cloud-based software program analyze the interference pattern and reconstruct an image of the sample. Since it's dual-mode, both large samples and small samples can be analyzed through processes called "transmission" and "reflection," and doctors could potentially use their laptops or smartphones to access the images remotely. Although still considered a prototype, researchers think the development has the opportunity to revolutionize health care by allowing doctors to test things like water, blood and food. Check out the full PR after the break.
Robot skin captures super detailed 3D surface images
Remember those awesome pin art toys where you could press your hand (or face) into the pins to leaving a lasting impression? Researchers at MIT have taken the idea one (or two) steps further with "GelSight," a hunk of synthetic rubber that creates a detailed computer visualized image of whatever surface you press it against. It works as such: push the reflective side of the gummy against an object (they chose a chicken feather and a $20 bill) and the camera on the other end will capture a 3-D image of the microscopic surface structure. Originally designed as robot "skin," researchers realized the tool could be used in applications from criminal forensics (think bullets and fingerprints) to dermatology. The Coke can-sized machine is so sensitive, it can capture surface subtleties as small as one by two micrometer in surface -- finally solving the mystery of who stole the cookies from the cookie jar. (Hint: we know it was you Velvet Sledgehammer).
iPhone 4 turned into a microscope via CellScope attachment
CellScope is a UC Berkeley project designed to enable microscopic image captures from a cell phone's camera. At first it might sound like a pointlessly geeky project to do microscopy on a cell phone, but in fact it has important applications for mobile health services in remote areas. In some areas of sub-Saharan Africa and other developing areas of the world, access to health care of any kind is scarce, and it often falls upon poorly-equipped doctors or volunteers to take up the slack. Since health care equipment is generally expensive to begin with, outfitting even a low-power microscope with a wireless transmitter capable of communicating with doctors at a remote location could easily run into the thousands of dollars. Not only that, but the equipment itself would likely be bulky, temperamental, and easily damaged. That's where CellScope comes in. Via an attachment, CellScope can turn a standard cell phone camera into a 5x to 50x microscope, essentially creating a miniaturized blood lab that can capture images and transmit them far more cheaply than traditional equipment. The iPhone 4 pictured above (courtesy of Scott Silverman) isn't the first mobile phone to be hooked into the CellScope rig, but with its high-quality camera and extensive photo sharing abilities, it might end up being the best mobile device for the job. Plus, viewing microscopic images on a Retina Display sounds like a great alternative to peering into one of those microscope eyepieces. This obviously won't replace traditional setups in a fully-equipped laboratory, but for the kind of remote and rural applications that CellScope covers, it sounds like an ideal solution.
