MICSCAPE - Exploring the miniature world

Issue 248 : November 2016 (ISSN 1365 - 070x) Monthly, next issue December 13th 2016.


Albert Park Lake, Melbourne.
Image by Yu Wan.

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Micscape Contacts
 Micscape Editor:
 David Walker

Microscopy-UK
 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.

Exploring an Australian microbial world: Freshwater green algae in the Albert Park Lake - Yu Wan (China) shares his studies of the algal fauna of this habitat. PDF

Weird places to live - Richard Howey (USA) explores how Nature adapts to extreme environments.

The versatile Zeiss phase condenser - Forbes Pettigrew (Venezuela) summarises the uses of this multi-role condenser design. PDF

Infrared images are not infradig - Richard Howey (USA) shares a selection of imagery taken using a near IR modified digicam.

Brunel Aqueous Mountant for moth genitalia - Anthony Thomas (Canada) describes and illustrates the effectiveness of this mountant. PDF
Editor's note: Epi-Rheinberg is a rarely reported technique but coincidentally two contributors have shared articles this month. The two approaches complement each other.

Epi-Rheinberg  - Alejandro Ariel Garcia Arriaga (Mexico) describes and illustrates how to make an LED light ring for objectives to explore this technique on any compound microscope. PDF

Darkfield reflected Rheinberg microscopy (A.K.A. “Disco Lights Illumination”) - Michael Tuell (USA) describes how to modify the epi head of a Nikon microscope for this type of illumination and illustrated with examples. PDF

Micscape Lite: Contributors sharing their other interests.

A Few Good Knots and Bends and Hitches - Forbes Pettigrew (Venezuela) shares his extensively illustrated 47 page booklet covering the world of knots. PDF
From the archives:

Views through a mathematical microscope of some three-dimensional oddities - Brian Johnston (Canada) in Jan. 2006 shared some striking mathematically created forms; some with a resemblance to natural organisms.
Circular oblique lighting part 1 - the first article in a series by Paul James (UK) from Dec. 2002 which takes a modern look at this technique first described in the 19thC.

A variable compensator for polarising microscopes - Ian Walker (UK) in Apr. 2006 showed how a cleaved mica square in a homemade rotating mount below the condenser can be used to make an elegant and competent compensator requiring only card crafting skills.

Exploring the cultivated silk moth (Bombyx mori). Part 1: The forms and fine structure of the adult wing scales, a subject studied by Leeuwenhoek - the first article of three from Jun. 2012 where David Walker (UK) explored an insect that was one of the earliest to be studied in detail. Leeuwenhoek's observations, including micrometric studies of the wing scale fine structure, were very accurate.

    External articles: Veils in the water: 'Schools' of protozoa - T Rand Collins (USA) shares a fascinating article with embedded videos studying this phenomenon. Thank you to the author for inviting us to link.

    David Jackson's Better Microscopy blog. David wrote an excellent series of books in his 'Better Microscopy' series and the Ed. owns the set. He now offers a regularly updated blog website which includes freely downloadable resources in pdf format formerly covered by his books but now updated. These currently include a resource on a topic that can be more of a black art than a science i.e. an in-depth assessment of what finite tube length objectives can work on infinity corrected microscopes.

    Micscape 21st anniversary issue. Thank you to our contributor Alejandro Ariel Garcia Arriaga who spotted that this issue would be our 21st anniversary issue since we started in November 1995. Alejandro has created a fun animated gif in celebration, many thanks!

 

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 June 2016. 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.

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)
Wild M20 microscope
 microcosmo (for Italian speaking enthusiasts)
CombineZ P stacking software forum created by the software's author

Facebook groups:
Amateur Microscopy (>1000 members, very active)

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.
'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 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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