'Ribbon'
threads in the webs of brown spiders (Loxosceles spp.) - Eduardo
Ramires (Brazil) describes an intriguing form of spider silk which is extruded
by species of this genus. Illustrated with scanning electron photomicrographs.
A
day after the rain - Daigo Kamada (Paraguay) shares his enthusiasm
for the microscopic wonders in a pond when he first encounters the fascinating
organism Vorticella.
A
measuring method for microscopic organisms - Chitchai Chantangsi (Thailand)
explains a straightforward method for accurately measuring the size of
microscopic organisms.
Microscopy
on a shoestring - David Bull (UK) shows how a versatile stereo and
compound microscope set-up with image capture can be assembled when on
a budget.
Image
gallery: Demodex mite - A selection of images of this intriguing mite
which lives on humans. A simple collecting method is also described. By
Aaron Messing (USA).
'It's
an ill wind': A look at the winter shore - Brian Darnton (UK) looks
at the marine organisms that can be found on the seaweeds uprooted after
bad weather. Illustrations by Jan Parmentier (The Netherlands).
A
home made flash device for a Nikon Skt microscope - Bill Ells (UK)
shares a useful design of electronic flash light for the microscope which
would also be suitable for other microscope models.
Image
gallery: Images captured with an Olympus C-2040z digicam on a microscope
- David Young (USA) presents some images of the intriguing detail of insects
captured using his homemade camera adaptor and digicam.
Microfauna
of concrete blocks - Guido Santacana (Puerto Rico) shows how even the
most unlikely habitats have creatures that are worth studying under the
microscope.
Oil
immersion objectives - Paul James (UK) provides a useful introduction
to these objectives with his thoughts on their pros and cons.
Well
slides - Jean-Marie Cavanihac (France) presents a number of practical
designs for making cavity slides to study microscopic organisms.
Water
flea anatomy - Wim van Egmond (The Netherlands) has compiled a fun
interactive visual guide to this fascinating inhabitant of most ponds.
Crystals
and polarization: A few additional thoughts - Richard Howey (USA) provides
a valuable list of chemicals that can be found around the home which are
fascinating to study between crossed polarisation filters.
Crystal
image gallery II - Jim Evarts (USA) shows how experimenting with just
one chemical can create a variety of beautiful images in polarized light.
