A wet mount uses a liquid mounting medium, in most cases water. It is also possible to make a wet mount using pure glycerine. Wet mounts are temporary in nature and can not be stored over extended time periods. A wet mount is probably one of the most universal ways of preparing a slide. The [...]

Squashing the specimens (instead of cutting them) is a fast and easy way to prepare specimens.

The pollen grains from a dandelion (Taraxacum sp.) were collected and air-mounted (no liquid mounting medium used). Eleven separate images were stacked together to increase the depth of field and to produce the final image. The color contrast was then adjusted. Dark-field patch stop was used.

Is it possible to use microscopes to identify pathogens, such as the EHEC bacterium, which currently (May-June 2011) causes problems in some parts of Europe? The answer is, unfortunately, no.

The zoomable image shows the cross-section through the tongue of a rabbit. The muscles fibers and taste buds are visible.
 

Here we’re having a look at the Leica BM E educational microscope. This model is equipped with a 4x, 10x and 40x objective, with the possibility of adding a further objective.

The image shows a cross section through the stem of a pumpkin. Pumpkins belong to the dicotyledonous plants. The circular arrangement of the vascular tissue indicates this. Fifty five individual images were stitched together to make this zoomable image. The final size is about 100 megapixels (10000×10000 pixels). Happy exploring!

Use the horizontal slider to zoom into the image. On the left you can see a collapsed vein (the structure with the shape of a “2″), the oval structure on the right bottom is an artery. You can clearly see that the wall of the artery is substantially thicker. This is necessary to withstand the [...]