microscope
Latest
New microscope allows live 3D imaging of cells
Top level researchers and high-school science students alike have long been restricted by the tradeoffs of traditional microscopy: either you can look at live cells at low resolutions, or you can stabilize your sample and see some more detail. A new technique developed at MIT aims to change that, though, enabling scientists to look at live cells at high resolution -- in 3D. The microscope, which was developed by professor Micheal Feld and his team, generates images by analyzing how different parts of the cell refract light, and combines those images from different angles to create 3D models in real time. The unit has already been used at Harvard Medical School, and based on our struggles to see anything under the 'scope in college, we foresee quite a few students and professors clamoring for these at universities everywhere soon.
iPhone CPU up close and personal
We've seen a bevy of pics featuring the iPhone's internals, but this set goes a step further and gets us into the action microscope-style. The gents at μblog sliced and diced some poor specimen and discovered that the chip contains both CPU and RAM, and while both have serial numbers, no brand markings can be made out. These pics are rather beautiful in some ethereal, deep-sea way, though aside from blowing them up and draping them on a wall, we're not too sure what else can be done with them. A reader pointed out that the images look like Legend of Zelda maps, though we're convinced they are definitely more Gauntlet-esque. Thoughts?[Via Hacked Gadgets]
Autonomous robotic fleas could create distributed sensor network
We've seen a fair bit of mesh networking approaches lately, and thanks to a unusual project going on at the University of California, Berkeley, the next great ad hoc network could be started by a horde of bugs. Sarah Bergbreiter has developed an "autonomous robotic flea has been developed that is capable of jumping nearly 30 times its height," thanks to what could possibly be hailed as the "world's smallest rubber band." Interestingly, the creator hopes that the minuscule bugs could eventually be used to "create networks of distributed sensors for detecting chemicals or for military-surveillance purposes." The Smart Dust initiative could eventually be expanded to grow wings, but for now the solar-powered bugger will stick to hoppin' via a "microcontroller to govern its behavior and a series of micro electromechanical systems (MEMS) motors on a silicon substrate."[Via BoingBoing]
Atomic force microscope takes a closer look at individual atoms
Hot on the heels of Purdue's Mini 10 chemical analyzer comes a (somewhat) similar creature from the other side of the globe, as Osaka University's Yoshiaki Sugimoto and colleagues have "found a way to use the atomic force microscope to produce images that reveal the chemical identity of individual atoms on a surface." Essentially, this new discovery allows scientists to look at a mixed material and "pick out individual atoms of different elements on its surface, such as tin or silicon." The microscopes themselves are quite common in this realm, but until now, they have not been capable of distinguishing between atoms of different chemical elements. The atomic fingerprint, as it's so aptly named, is what the crew scrutinized in order to distinguish between varying atoms on a sample surface, as they witnessed that the relationship between force and distance is "slightly different for atoms of different elements." Of course, we have to look for the practical use in all this hubbub, and a non-participating scientist from the UK has insinuated that the discovery could be useful for nanotechnology researchers trying to design devices at the molecular level -- and who wouldn't be down a little nanotech garb or a snazzy new water-repelling umbrella?
Today's hottest game video: Halo 3 "Starry Night" ad dissected [update 1]
Since the Halo 3 ad has been chewing up the online gaming video charts, it's about time someone took a look at it in ultra-close detail. GameVideos.com has the top-rated video today that dissects things under a microscope, and basically says everything about the ad that you've been thinking. You can practically hear the drooling in their voices as they go over the video. Plus it nicely shows off the video playing capability of the Xbox 360 if you haven't seen it before.While there is no new information here, it's totally what we're all thinking about and anticipating, unless you're waiting on Hello Kitty Island Adventure to become a reality. It's a strange day and age when we're basically getting what amounts to a commentary track on a commercial for a game that won't be out for many months. Bring it on already.[Update: due to a technical glitch we like to call "idiocy," the wrong video was uploaded. This has been fixed and all responsible parties sacked.]
Webcam + CD-ROM lens = instant microscope
Sure, you could just buy one of the many, more capable, ready-made, USB microscopes, but if you're lacking for geek cred, you can also build your own with nothing more than a webcam and a lens salvaged from a CD or DVD drive. This hack courtesy of Kalanda is about as simple as can be, just carefully remove the tiny lens from your optical drive and affix it in place on the webcam with some cardboard and tape (they apparently didn't remove the webcam's lens). The lens is able to double as a microscope because of its very short focal length, which proved to be just right for getting disturbingly close shots of the intrepid DIY-er's hand. We're building one right now, too, because we've been having a hell of time keeping track of our micro-dice during those regular after-work craps games.[Via Make]
X-Loupe gives your Canon IXUS microscopic powers
Just like in 5th grade, some things are still pretty dang interesting when looked at up close. X-Loupe can help you in your quest of dang interesting stuff, by snapping onto a Canon IXUS camera (Digital ELPH in the States) and providing microscope-style 150x 5 megapixel photography. The unit has its own battery and LED lens ring, which should provide around 4 hours of magnification fun, and doesn't impede any of the usual IXUS features like preview, video recording or TV connectivity. X-Loupe can be obtained from the company of the same name for around $1450, and comes with a trio of lenses (60x, 100x and 150x) along with a Canon IXUS 65 camera to round out the package.[Via gizmag]
