What is a microscope?
A microscope is an instrument that magnifies tiny objects so they can be seen in detail. It lets scientists study cells, bacteria and structures too small for the naked eye.
Light microscopes use glass lenses to bend light and magnify objects, usually up to about 1,000 to 2,000 times. They are used in schools, hospitals and laboratories to look at cells, tissues and microorganisms. Samples are often stained with dyes to make structures easier to see.
Electron microscopes, invented in the 1930s, use beams of electrons instead of light. They can magnify objects more than a million times, revealing viruses, proteins and even individual atoms. Scanning electron microscopes create detailed 3D-looking images of surfaces.
History
Early compound microscopes appeared in the Netherlands in the late 1500s. In the 1670s, Dutch scientist Antonie van Leeuwenhoek built powerful single-lens microscopes and became the first to observe bacteria and other single-celled organisms, which he called animalcules.
Microscopes transformed medicine and science. They allowed doctors to identify the bacteria that cause diseases like tuberculosis and cholera, helped scientists discover cells and their parts and are used today to examine blood samples, diagnose cancer from tissue biopsies and study materials in engineering. Digital microscopes can now connect to computers and phones to capture images and video.
Did You Know?
The word microscope comes from Greek words meaning small and to look.