MICSCAPE - Exploring the miniature world

Issue 240 : March 2016 (ISSN 1365 - 070x) Monthly, next issue March 13th 2016.


Carmine injected cat's tongue.
Detail of an image by Howard Lynk.

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parent site coordinator:
Maurice Smith

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.

The 1860s Smith, Beck & Beck transparent injections - Howard Lynk (USA) presents an illustrated survey of these type of slides supplied by a well known maker. PDF

The Nikon Model S Microscope: Replacing the fine focus spur gear - T Rand Collins (Canada) provides step by step illustrated instructions on how to correct a common fault on this model.

Once a surgeon - Peter Paisley (Australia) describes and illustrates less well known aspects of the life and work of Tuffen West. DOC For optimal viewing please use a desktop screen with WP software that has a 'web layout' option to view DOC files. E.g. the freeware LibreOffice or OpenOffice.

Digital salvaging—micro-gambling: Buying old slides off eBay - Richard Howey (USA) discusses the pros and cons of buying old slides from this source and illustrated with examples.

DIY fluorescence part 3: DIY ultraviolet light epi-fluorescence microscope - Alejandro Ariel Garcia Arriaga (Mexico) shows how the common 'black light' can be used for simple autofluorescence studies. PDF

Video gallery 2: Rotifers and a Stentor feeding - Mike Morgan (UK) shares a second selection of video clips of organisms found in a temporary Dartmoor pond.

DIY polarizing microscope -  Alejandro Ariel Garcia Arriaga (Mexico) describes and illustrates the ease at which polar studies can be made with any compound microscope. PDF

Household microscopy Part 5. (And the yard) - Richard Howey (USA) continues his series where he explores potential subjects in the home. This month, the topics covered include household plants and the inhabitants of temporary aquatic habitats in the yard.

A gallery of radiolaria depicted on postage stamps and postal stationery - David Walker (UK) wonders how many examples of these attractive microorganisms can be found shown on stamps and envelopes.

    In focus:
    'Meet the mysterious soil life' Our regular contributor Wim van Egmond is participating in an educational project requiring crowdfunding to make the vital importance of soil inhabitants in our life more widely known. Visit the site to learn more and donations to raise the required 10 000 Euros are welcomed.

    Lecture, London April 7th, 'Optical Microscopy: The resolution revolution' by Nobel laureate Prof. Hell.

    In London on April 7th the 'IET Kelvin Lecture 2016' entitled 'Optical Microscopy: The resolution revolution' will be presented by Professor Stefan Hell, the Nobel Prize winner. Wikipedia notes that 'He received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2014 "for the development of super-resolved fluorescence microscopy", together with Eric Betzig and William Moerner.' For further information and free registration follow this link.
    Thank you to Sarah Sennett, The Institution of Engineering and Technology for letting us know of this meeting.

    Recent stamps depicting diatoms. Thank you to Mark B. Edlund who compiles and collects stamps depicting diatoms. He notes three recent issues of attractive stamps as shown below, one with a diatom on postmark. These have been added to my own gallery showing diatoms on stamps (Micscape March 2013) compiled using Mark's checklist. Left to right: Germany 2015 one of two in the 'Microwelten' series; Territory of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands 2016 (design credited to S. Beaujard); British Antarctic Territory 2014 one of four in the 'Antarctic Marine Food Web' series. © Stamp Design Royal Mail Group Ltd (2014).

     

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. 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.
www.quekett.net/forum/index.php
forum for both Quekett Microscopical Club members and other enthusiasts.

Yahoo groups: a 'P' denotes current and archived messages are public i.e. not limited to members.
Amateur Microscopy P (started November 2008)
Yahoo Diatom Forum P
Microscope P (>1500 members, very active)
Microscopehobby
P (started Apr 2005)
Wild M20 microscope
microcosmo (for Italian speaking enthusiasts)
CombineZ P stacking software forum created by the software's author

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 a free monthly microscopy enthusiast 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
Independent Generation of Research (IGoR) - Wiki style resource for citizen scientists to share their work.
G. Couger's microscopy links extensive links
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.
www.viewsfromscience.com projects by Ely Silk e.g. chilled stage for crystal growth studies and LED fluorescence
'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
Stefano Barone's Diatom Shop sale of his own prepared and arranged slides of diatoms, radiolaria and forams.
Stefano Barone's 'Microworlds' blog regularly updated blog and diary where Stefano showcases and discusses the typical examples of the slides he has prepared.

Microscopy-UK and Micscape - established 1995
Micscape is a free magazine for enthusiasts funded by Microscopy-UK and dedicated to non-commercial microscopy.
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