Microscopy News Blog

All the news from ZEISS Microscopy

Science and Education Under One Roof

The Ars Electronica Center in Linz

Since 1979, Ars Electronica has been searching for the interfaces between art, technology, and society. The center describes itself as a museum of the future where fusions of art, science, and technology are displayed and developed. The Ars Electronica Center also has a fully equipped BioLab with an S1 security level. As part of workshops and guided tours, visitors can make the smallest biological structures and processes – such as those of a cell – visible.

This is made possible by two ZEISS Primo Star upright light microscopes, a ZEISS Primovert iLED cell culture microscope, incubators, a safety workbench, a ZEISS Axio Scope.A1 fluorescence microscope, and even a small electron microscope.

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Tags: Light Microscopy

Anthony Hyman Receives Carl Zeiss Lecture 2019

Understanding the mechanisms of cell division

News

This year’s awardee of the Carl Zeiss Lecture, the most visible prize of the German Society for Cell Biology (DGZ), is Anthony A. Hyman, director at the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics (MPI-CBG) in Dresden. His work deepened the molecular understanding of microtubules and how their dynamic properties in mitosis enable bipolar spindle formation and faithful chromosome segregation.

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Tags: Confocal Microscopy, Light Microscopy

Detecting Sperm on Washed Textiles

Application note on light microscopy in forensic analyses

Knowledge

The forensic testing of DNA samples is an important part of day-to-day forensic activities. Often, weeks or months pass between the committing of a crime and the analysis of the evidence by forensic geneticists, and during which time evidence relevant to the crime is washed. This study shows that even after two washing cycles at a water temperature of 60 °C, a sufficient number of sperm cells can still be detected to be used to create a genetic fingerprint.

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Tags: Forensic Science, Light Microscopy

Mary Rose sinking (©Geoff Hunt, PPRSMA)4

The Mary Rose – a Unique Glimpse Into Life in Tudor Times

Building bridges between science, history, and archaeology

Customer Story

The Mary Rose, a famous warship belonging the Tudor King Henry VIII, sank in 1545 and was brought back to the surface in 1982. By studying artifacts and historical documents with microscopes, we can piece together what kind of lives its sailors may have led.

Eleanor Schofield, Head of Conservation and Collections Care at the Mary Rose Trust and an honorary professor at the University of Kent, talks to us about the challenges of conserving this historical collection for future generations.

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More information on ZEISS Smartzoom

Check out the Mary Rose Museum on Twitter

Tags: Light Microscopy

Carrying out Research at Sea

The world's first hybrid cruise ship has ZEISS microscopes on board

Customer Story

Launched in July 2019, the MS Roald Amundsen cruise ship is the first of the two new hybrid-powered expedition ships in Hurtigruten’s fleet. The ice-strengthened ship is designed specifically for the frigid polar waters and regularly crosses Antarctica, picking up vital data. Scientists then analyze the Antarctic seawater for levels of plankton, krill – essential for the survival of penguins – and pollutants such as microplastics. The researchers are supported by the ship’s Science Center, which is equipped with ZEISS stereo microscopes.

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Join marine biologist Wayne Brown for a walk around MS Roald Amundsen

Tags: Light Microscopy

Insights from M&M 2019

Observations from a ZEISS executive leader on one of the largest microscopy conferences in the world

Events

The annual Microscopy & Microanalysis (M&M) conference was recently held in Portland, Oregon, USA. ZEISS is one of the largest sponsors and exhibitors at this meeting for the Microscopy Society of America that is dedicated to the promotion and advancement of techniques and applications of microscopy and microanalysis in all relevant scientific disciplines.

In attendance was Allister McBride, a senior director at ZEISS who is responsible for materials research strategy. This includes understanding new trends in the market, translating those into customer needs, and working with R&D to create innovative solutions. Allister provided the commentary on what he felt were some of the more interesting new trends and topics at this year’s M&M.

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More about the Microscopy Society of America

Read the press release on the new capabilities for ZEISS ion beam microscopes showcased at M&M

Tags: Battery Research, Correlative Microscopy, Electron and Ion Microscopy, Machine Learning, Metals and Steel, X-ray Microscopy

Conservators and Microscopes: A Great Team

A glimpse into the work of the conservation team at the Imperial Carriage Museum in Vienna

Customer Story

If an object – such as an Imperial Carriage – is due to be restored, an extensive examination and inventory is carried out first. Once a detailed conservation or restoration plan has been created, the real work begins.

Microscopic analyses play a big part in this. Matthias Manzini, Isabella Gmeindl and Michaela Morelli describe their conservation work at the Imperial Carriage Museum in Vienna.

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More information on ZEISS stereo and zoom microscopes

Tags: Light Microscopy

Automating Data Processing in Cancer Research

APEER is helping researchers to analyze data faster and with higher precision

Customer Story

An important aspect of cancer research is understanding why some cancer cells escape chemotherapy and become even more aggressive and resistant to treatment. At the University of Vilnius in Lithuania, Prof. Valius Mindaugas and Nadežda Dreižė use confocal microscopy to understand the impact of selected chemical compounds on the growth and cell signaling behavior of different cancer cell lines. By examining the localization of specific proteins within the cell, with and without chemical treatment, Prof. Mindaugas and his team can draw conclusions about protein function.

To identify significant trends in these types of experiments, thousands of cells must be analyzed in a reproducible manner. Doing this manually is both challenging and time consuming. Prof. Mindaugas and his team were able to utilize APEER for automatic and unbiased analysis of protein localization – resulting in more precise, impactful analyses.

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Tags: Cell Biology

Cellular Therapy Opens up New Perspectives

Professor Alp Can from Ankara University speaks about his research

Customer Story

Professor Alp Can is the director of the Department of Histology and Embryology at Ankara University School of Medicine, and also responsible for the microscopic multi-imaging facility, which hosts many ZEISS microscopes at many levels.

Prof. Can’s main research topic is to investigate the cellular properties of human umbilical cord mesenchymal stromal cells with regard to using them in cellular therapies.

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More information on ZEISS microscope solutions for cell biology

Tags: Confocal Microscopy

Inspiring the Next Generation of Nanotechnologists

ZEISS electron microscope used in nanotechnology outreach program to local high school and community college students in greater San Diego area

Customer Story

Opportunities for careers in nanotechnology are expanding. Dr. Yves Theriault at the San Diego Nanotechnology Infrastructure (SDNI) at the University of California at San Diego (UCSD) is developing an outreach program to create awareness about nanotechnology among the local high school and community college student population. This has included developing online tools to enable remote access to UCSD’s highest resolution scanning electron microscope, ZEISS Sigma 500. Students can experience firsthand what it might be like to work in nanotechnology, hopefully inspiring some to continue their career developments in this direction.

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Tags: Education, Electron and Ion Microscopy