Activity 1: Microscopy Practice

This week was all about Microscopes, an essential tool for all things biology! In part 1, I learned about the Care & Use, Magnification metrics, and Terminology regarding the instruments. In part 2, I virtually analyzed some slides.

To start your journey, navigate to this website.

https://www.ncbionetwork.org/iet/microscope/

After navigating to the above website, you will see a 3D animated version of a microscope. Click on “Explore”.

Click on the “?” sign to access the Overview Menu to access slides such as Sample, Plant, Animal, Bacteria, and Human. Each category contains multiple slide options.

As an example, I choose the Onion Root slide under the Plants section.

Initially, the image will be blurry like this.

There are different magnification options such as 4X, 10X, 40X, and 100X. There are also focus options such as coarse focus, fine focus, and light adjust.

Increase the Coarse focus and fine focus values to get a clearer image. Analyze the structure of the root and look for standout features. Start with a smaller magnification like 4X or 10X, to get a good overview of the slide.

Next, increase the magnification to 40X, this will need adjustment in light, so use the bar to increase it. Try to locate the cell wall, membrane, Vacuole, and cellular arrangement, and analyze the staining patterns to learn more about the root cell.

Continue your microbial journey with the other categories available.