How Are Microscopes Used Today?

Microscopes have come a long way from being instruments just used to see small objects in the 18^th century. The invention of the microscope proved to be a major breakthrough in scientific and medical history. It was possible to look into human blood and see what was going on inside. Doctors and researchers could identify different bacteria and start creating medicines to counter them. It opened up avenues never explored earlier. In short it proved to be a huge boon to us human beings.

Microscopes are available in many different types and models. You can get economy ones as well as expensive ones. The best microscopes are made of metal alloys and are long lasting. Microscopes can be used in almost every sphere of life. They are used in schools, hospitals and clinical laboratories. They can be used for metallurgical and industrial work as well.

Different types of microscopes are used for different purposes. There are four types of biological microscopes that are used to examine tiny matter like blood cells and bacteria. These are the compound, dissection, transmission electron and scanning electron microscopes. Each one can be used for different functions. The compound microscope allows you to view specimens at a high magnification power. It uses a fluorescent light to illuminate the specimens. The dissection microscope is like a regular compound microscope. It also uses light to illuminate the specimen. It has a lower magnification power and can be used to examine larger organisms by dissecting them.

 

Electron microscopes use electrons instead of light to illuminate the specimens. These have very high magnifying power and resolution. They are used to examine blood and bacteria. They are especially useful in medical research.

 

The digital microscope is one of the latest innovations. It uses a USB to transfer images to a computer screen. This makes it easier to see the image and manipulate it on a larger screen. It also makes it easier to transmit such images to other scientists in other locations.

 

The atomic force microscope is also very useful in the field of scientific research. Instead of actually seeing the specimen, this microscope uses its tip to scan the surface of the sample. This scanning process is then transmitted to a computer where the images can be viewed. It can scan tiny areas at a time and has a very high magnification power.

 

Microscopes are used in many locations now. The introduction to microscopes begins in school where they are used for educational purposes. Students conduct experiments by using dissection microscopes to examine small organisms. Microscopes are used in clinical and medical laboratories to examine blood samples to determine the kind of bacteria in them. This helps doctors diagnose their patients correctly and treat them accordingly.

 

Microscopes are used extensively in research laboratories. Scientists are constantly examining different matter and specimens to learn more about them. Thanks to microscopes we discovered different diseases and the cures to many of them. Scientists are still conducting research by using microscopes to find cures and vaccines for many more life threatening diseases.

 

There are microscopes used to examine non-biological specimens as well. They are used to examine and understand the composition of metals, rocks and even fossils. As you can see, microscopes are used in most areas of our lives.