The male pine cone (or flower) is responsible for forming pollen. These pollen grains are also visible in the image above. For a zoom-able image of a female pine cone, visit the following link:

The image above shows Lumbricus terrestris, the earth worm, in cross section. The red part in the center is the digestive system. You can zoom into the image. The only adjustment done to the image was a color correction. The image was not sharpened.

Today I’d like to show you a nice microscopic picture, which I took several years ago of two human hair. The pictures on the right show you the original, unprocessed image at the top, and a second cleaned-up image with a nice background on the bottom. The top image shows darkened corers from the field [...]

The Köhler (or Koehler or Kohler) field diaphragm is located above the light source. It is responsible for controlling the width of the light beam (but not its intensity). The light source of a microscope without Köhler illumination will illuminate the whole specimen, which may be the source of stray light and excessive heating of [...]

I’ve been repeatedly asked for advice concerning the purchase of microscopes of hobby and amateur purposes. The following rules should help you in your choice. Rule 1: Be weary about “department store” microscopes Enthusiasts who want to pick up the hobby frequently encounter their first microscopes in department stores and toy shops. If you are [...]

Popular Science magazine published many different articles dealing with microscopy. These articles can be accessed over Google Books: Popular Science articles on microscopy. Even though some of the articles are quite dated (going back into the 1930s), they still can contain valuable information and tips which remain valid up to today. Be aware that not [...]

  Commercial microscope filters are usually made of stained glass. In the case of patch stops (as used in dark-field illumination), they may be made of aluminum. The dark-field patch stops block some of the light and the specimen will appear bright on dark background. The traditional way of DIY patch stops is cutting them [...]

Let’s have a look at some stereo microscope projects that you can do with children.