Biology HL
4
Chapters
553
Notes
Theme A - Unity & diversity
Theme B - Form & Function
Theme C - Interaction & Interdependence
Theme D - Continuity & Change
Biology HL
Theme A - Unity & diversity
Evolution of Microscopy From Light to Electron Advancements
552 words
3 mins read
Last edited on 14th Jun 2024
Table of content
A brief history of microscopy 🕵️♂️
- 17th Century: Invention of microscopes.
- 19th Century: Improved light microscopes lead to exciting discoveries like bacteria, chromosomes, and processes like mitosis, meiosis, fertilization.
- 1930s-1950s: Electron microscopes come into play.
- Real-world example: Imagine a detective (scientist) using better and better magnifying glasses (microscopes) to solve a crime (understanding cells)!
Light microscopes vs. electron microscopes 🌟
- Light Microscopes: Uses light, magnification up to 400×, can view living materials in color.
- Electron Microscopes: Uses electrons, magnification up to 1,000,000×, more resolution but only black & white images.
- Real-world example: Think of light microscopes as basic cameras and electron microscopes as high-powered telescopes. You'd use a camera for beautiful colorful landscapes (living cells) and a telescope to see distant stars (small cellular details)!
Resolution matters 🔍
- Making things distinguishable by eye is called resolution.
- Electron microscopes have a higher resolution than light microscopes.
- Real-world example: Imagine two dots that become closer together as they get smaller, like two friends standing on a faraway hill. With a basic telescope (light microscope), they might look like one person. With a super-powerful telescope (electron microscope), you could see both friends clearly!
Fluorescent stains & immunofluorescence 🌈
- Stains help distinguish white or colorless chemicals.
- Fluorescence: Absorbs light and re-emits it at a longer wavelength.
- Immunofluorescence: Uses antibodies linked to fluorescent markers to produce multicolored images.
- Real-world example: It's like putting on colored glasses to better see specific objects in a room. You could use different colored glasses (stains) to see different things!
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Biology HL
Theme A - Unity & diversity
Evolution of Microscopy From Light to Electron Advancements
552 words
3 mins read
Last edited on 14th Jun 2024
Table of content
A brief history of microscopy 🕵️♂️
- 17th Century: Invention of microscopes.
- 19th Century: Improved light microscopes lead to exciting discoveries like bacteria, chromosomes, and processes like mitosis, meiosis, fertilization.
- 1930s-1950s: Electron microscopes come into play.
- Real-world example: Imagine a detective (scientist) using better and better magnifying glasses (microscopes) to solve a crime (understanding cells)!
Light microscopes vs. electron microscopes 🌟
- Light Microscopes: Uses light, magnification up to 400×, can view living materials in color.
- Electron Microscopes: Uses electrons, magnification up to 1,000,000×, more resolution but only black & white images.
- Real-world example: Think of light microscopes as basic cameras and electron microscopes as high-powered telescopes. You'd use a camera for beautiful colorful landscapes (living cells) and a telescope to see distant stars (small cellular details)!
Resolution matters 🔍
- Making things distinguishable by eye is called resolution.
- Electron microscopes have a higher resolution than light microscopes.
- Real-world example: Imagine two dots that become closer together as they get smaller, like two friends standing on a faraway hill. With a basic telescope (light microscope), they might look like one person. With a super-powerful telescope (electron microscope), you could see both friends clearly!
Fluorescent stains & immunofluorescence 🌈
- Stains help distinguish white or colorless chemicals.
- Fluorescence: Absorbs light and re-emits it at a longer wavelength.
- Immunofluorescence: Uses antibodies linked to fluorescent markers to produce multicolored images.
- Real-world example: It's like putting on colored glasses to better see specific objects in a room. You could use different colored glasses (stains) to see different things!
Unlock the Full Content!
Dive deeper and gain exclusive access to premium files of Biology HL. Subscribe now and get closer to that 45 🌟