CURRENT ISSUE: Micscape Magazine, exploring the miniature world for enthusiasts of amateur microscopy

MICSCAPE - Exploring the miniature world

Issue 305 : August 2021 (ISSN 1365 - 070x) Monthly, next issue September 13th 2021.

Magnesium sulphate (Epsom salts) under polarised light. Image by Richard Howey.

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Micscape Editor:
David Walker
Email: micscape AT ntlworld DOT com

Please do not contact the above for image permissions. Each article contributor retains the copyright to their material so should be contacted directly via the link in the relevant article. Thank you.

Comments on Micscape and contributions welcomed.
Contributions: Any modern format welcomed i.e. pdf. doc/docx with embedded images, or html + jpegs.

A matter of taste - Richard L. Howey (USA) shares a gallery of crystals photographed with crossed polars using materials found around the home.

Microscopical exploration ten. Adapting a vintage Vickers M10a microscope to enable polarised light observations - James R. Stewart (UK) describes how to enhance the capabilities of this model. PDF

Dry skins - Christian Autotte (Canada) illustrates how skin moults from critters that can be found around the home and in the wild can provide plenty of macro and microscopic interest.

Beware of the beauty - a distasteful toxic beetle - Anthony Thomas (Canada) explores a lycid beetle on the macro and micro scale. PDF

Topical tip - using small diameter short wavelength interference filters on modern microscopes with large field lens - David Walker (UK) illustrates using the Nikon Eclipse 800 as an example in order to extend the resolution of objectives for e.g. diatom studies.

From the Archives. A quiet issue so a full September 2011 edition from ten years ago is offered below.

Metallic flies in need of identification - Anthony Thomas (Canada) studies a species of blowfly for identification; illustrated with striking photographs taken using a macro set-up and stacking techniques. (In Acrobat® pdf format.)

Colonies of Stentor polymorphus associated with Ramshorn snails - Chris Thomas (UK) shares a video with notes showing a Stentor colony on an unusual substrate hitching a ride.

The great age of the Taschenmikroskop, part 3 - R Jordan Kreindler (USA) and Yuval Goren (Israel) present the third part of their series on selected designs of pocket microscopes with a modern assessment of their use. (In Acrobat® pdf format.)

Identifying a myxomycete and, a long-forgotten attempt of placing the Myxomycetes among the protists - Manuel del Cerro (USA) and Dietmar R. Krause (USA) explore an example found in a country park.

A close-up view of the corn cob Euphorbia - Brian Johnston (Canada) illustrates the macro and microscopic features of this plant.

Macro photography in the field using a mini-Dobsonian short-tube reflecting telescope - Michael Gibson (UK) describes the use of a macro set-up with a useful very long working distance.

More than a microscopist: remarks on the life and work of William Barwell Turner (1845 – 1917) - [the now sadly late] Peter Paisley (Australia) shares an in-depth study of the fascinating life and work of this mounter who had a working background in the brewing industry. Also in doc file format where A4 printing layout retained.

A simple halogen/LED lighting source modification - Paul James (UK) shares 'a very basic yet practical alteration for the novice or seasoned microscopist'.

Pandora's box. The diatoms of Sullivant & Wormley 1859 - [the now sadly late] Frithjof Sterrenburg (Netherlands) shares a fascinating diatom detective story and which illustrates the importance of taxonomy studies.

The inner epidermis of the onion bulb’s cataphylls (the onion skin). Fixing with Clarke’s fixative - Staining with Blue 1, and Eosin - [the now sadly late] Walter Dioni (Mexico) continues his series on this popular subject and how it can be used to explore different preparation and staining techniques.

Another marine mystery: A sea cucumber with jaws??? - Richard Howey (USA) studies a sea cucumber with evidence of pedicellaria and describes the function of this organ in their usual association with star fish and sea urchins.

A close-up view of Arctic Jacob's Ladder - Brian Johnston (Canada) illustrates the macro and micro features of this attractive plant.

Trials of commercial and homemade microslides (capillary tubes): colonisation by micro-organisms in a back yard pond - David Walker (UK) shares his experiences to date using this method of studying aquatic microhabitats; with stills and video clips of the type of organism found.

In Focus: The Micscape Ed. is currently enjoying the Kindle version (£23) of 'The Amazing World of Diatoms' pub. 2020 by Idei, Sato and Mann. Hardback £88. Bilingual in Japanese and English. A review of it by Anrich Kock on the ISDR site is below. From major bookshops. Stunning images mainly SEM with an engaging text describing many aspects of the group.

Book review: The Amazing World of Diatoms - International Society for Diatom Research (isdr.org)

We are delighted to receive contributions small or large from microscopy enthusiasts whether a novice or expert. If you have an image, tip or article, why not share it, this magazine is what you make it!

Archive
Look for that elusive article on our site: Micscape Magazine past issues online (read articles online using the original illustrated index for each month). Article Library (browse articles by category) Automated Search (a search engine for keyword searches in all articles) Contributor index (a list of all Micscape contributors to date)
News - special notices - misc.

External links. Updated April 2020. Below are some of our favourites, which includes sites with extensive links and/or resources for the optical microscopy enthusiast.
External Microscopy forums: Places to discuss the hobby or to raise queries. www.photomacrography.net forums, galleries, articles on macroscopy and photomicrography. groups.io (formerly Yahoo groups): Amateur Microscopy Diatom Forum Microscopy as a hobby or profession Wild Microscopes Facebook groups: Amateur Microscopy (>21000 members, very active). Also specialist groups e.g. for users of given maker's microscopes (e.g. Zeiss, Olympus, Wild, Vickers). Also try a Facebook Group search with keywords like microscope or microscopy to find these. Other: Microbe hunter the website ably run by Oliver Kim has built up a popular and valuable forum with help for both the beginner and more advanced user. Listservers: Algae-L 'Forum for marine, freshwater and terrestrial algae'. Access to Archives possible for non-subscribers. Diatom-L 'Research on the diatom algae.' Access to Archives for subscribers only. Link was current March 2016. Many online diatom resources point to an outdated Indiana Univ. listserver. (With thanks to Rob Kimmich for the current link.) Mikroskopie-Treff.de (Extensive German microscopy forum; some English categories.) Mikrobiologische Vereinigung München e. V. Wide range of articles and resources in German. Le Naturaliste French based forum and image gallery for micro / macro but open to non French speaking international contributors.	Other sites (also see Societies and Clubs page.) Royal Microscopy Society Journal, 'infocus' and other resources for members and the community. Quekett Microscopical Club Journal, Bulletin and meetings for members. Light Microscopy Forum links and articles Little Imp Publications public domain books collated by Steve Gill formerly on CD and now free on Micscape. Mikroskop Museum German website with resources on microscopes / makers . Molecular Expressions awesome optical microscopy resources Dennis Kunkel's SEM images stunning images Diatoms Ireland - resource site by Leszek Wolnik Leitz museum an illustrated resource compiled by Robert Allen Microbe hunter microscopy enthusiast website, forum and magazine edited by Oliver Kim Microscopies online magazine and Forum for French speakers Micrographia articles, projects for the enthusiast Microscopy Today journal with online archive Modern Microscopy online journal by McCrone Group Fun Science Gallery projects, articles on optics in English and Italian. Independent Generation of Research (IGoR) - Wiki style resource for citizen scientists to share their work. Lens On Leeuwenhoek - extensive resource online by Douglas Anderson Collected Letters of Antoni van Leeuwenhoek ('Alle de Brieven ..') transcribed and free online at DBNL. A Cabinet of Curiosities a resource on Victorian microscope slides by Howard Lynk Klaus Kemp's 'Diatoms' website - offers regional strews and arranged prepared slides of diatoms, an 8 form test slide, radiolaria, insect scales etc and prepares arranged slides on commission. 'Diatoms Ireland' resource by Leszek Wolnik Historical makers of microscopes and microscope slides Brian Stevenson's extensive resource . Victorian slide makers Cambridge rocking microtome resources including manual www.willemsmicroscope.com Dutch enthusiast Willem Cramer's website David Jackson's Better Microscopy blog. Regularly updated free resources extending from his 'Better Microscopy' series of books. Stefano Barone's Diatom Shop sale of his own prepared and arranged slides of diatoms, radiolaria, forams and scales. www.testslides.com website devoted to Stefano Barone's Diatom Lab test slides. Darwin Biological a UK company for 'biological education' supplies. Including live cultures of protozoa and algae. Microscopie van de Natuur Dutch microscopy resource site by Rolf Vossen.

Microscopy-UK
parent site coordinator:
Maurice Smith

Microscopy-UK and Micscape - established 1995

Micscape is a free magazine for enthusiasts funded by Microscopy-UK and dedicated to non-commercial microscopy.