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Beneath your feet lies a vast and complex network of interactions between soil-dwelling organisms. They’re like the underground version of a reality show – the Real Houseworms of the Soil. These microbes, including bacteria, fungi, worm and insects, play an important role in maintaining the health and fertility of the soil. The term soil food web to describe the way we look after the soil and plants look after us was coined by soil microbiologist Elaine Ingham in the 1980s.

A common limitation you’ll run into with microscopes is depth of field. Depth of field (sometimes called depth of focus) dictates how much of your sample will be in sharp focus, in a vertical sense rather than horizontally. It can be altered, just a bit, and sometimes even worked around, but there’s no escaping it. What is depth of field?

Attaching a camera to your trinocular microscope can be trickier than it first appears.  The theory is simple – just grab a C-mount adapter to connect your camera to your microscope. But you’re likely to run into issues with your field of view (the maximum area visible through the microscope), if you shop unprepared. Let’s take a look at C-mounts and the potential problems you might encounter.

If you ever encountered glow-in-the-dark stickers as a child, you’ve almost mastered the concept of fluorescence microscopy. Certain substances glow (or fluoresce) when they’re hit with light of a certain wavelength. It sounds simple, but this is a very important concept for life science researchers. If you can make cells or molecules fluorescent, then you can use their glow to track, isolate or visualise them with incredible precision.  

When peering through a microscope lens, it can be difficult (if not impossible) to bring your entire specimen into focus all at once. In most cases, this isn’t a major issue. The real problem arises when taking photos, as blurry edges can ruin an otherwise perfect shot. But don't worry, there's a straightforward solution to this problem – focus stacking, also known as z-stacking.

Phase contrast microscopy is an effective and convenient method of boosting contrast, revealing hidden details in transparent and unstained specimens. It was invented by Dutch physicist Frits Zernike in the 1930s, who was awarded the Nobel prize for his discovery....

On the side of almost every microscope, no matter how cheap or expensive, you’ll find the focus adjustment knobs. Unassuming yet essential, these little black dials determine whether you see a crystal-clear image or a blur. Here’s a quick overview of the coarse and fine adjustment knobs, and how they work.

The mechanical stage is a vital yet unappreciated component of any microscope. Sitting below the objective lenses, it’s the stage (or platform) upon which your slides and samples sit. It both keeps your slides steady and allows you to move those slides with smooth precision. Here’s a quick overview of the humble mechanical stage.