Specimens that seemed never seen must be 'exposed' under this type of glass

Scientists have developed a microscope capable of producing images with extremely high resolution. Compared to current technology, this microscope can see extremely small living specimens, seemingly impossible to see if using previous microscopes.

This technique is considered a great step forward of the scientific community, helping the field of microscope manufacturing to overcome the deadlock stage, when the microscope uses high-cost lasers and extremely large energy flows. .

New technology allows researchers to observe the smallest specimens without "crunching" them.

Dayong Jin, a scientist at Sydney University of Technology (UTS), who led the research project, said: "Now, to turn on and off individual pixels to give high-resolution images, they We have to use an extremely large laser with high energy. "

"High-energy lasers are only created by expensive devices, usually over $ 1 million. And when a fragile biological specimen is illuminated by such a high-energy laser, love Its condition is no different from being "cooked" , " said Dayong Jin.

It is clear that no one wants to study the samples that have been cooked, so researchers have tried to find another method. And nanoparticles are the answer.

Other laboratories have used lamp-like nanoparticles to produce high-resolution biological images. In these image areas, the resolution of the biological specimen is only 200 nanometers wide. Meanwhile, a human hair is 75,000 nanometers wide.

New technology makes the microscope less bulky.(Photo: Shutterstock).

Nanoparticles act like small molecular probes to lighten the structure you want to see. So instead of using expensive laser-generating devices, the researchers used low-energy infrared rays . They can prevent unwanted luminescence and help researchers see samples with structures as small as 13 nanometers.

Jin said, "A significant reduction in energy demand makes it unnecessary for us to use bulky and costly laser devices like before. Moreover, this new method has high biological compatibility. than".

Another great thing about the new method is the scale change . The researchers say this technique will reduce the need to use lasers two to three times greater. It not only reduces the cost but also makes the microscope less complicated.

Another team member - Jim Piper of Macquarie University in Australia, said: "This research will give scientists more information about how life forms on Earth are formed. ".

"Nanoparticles have unique properties that allow scientists to study specimens deeper and clearer - at the cellular and cellular levels. This is where proteins, antibodies and enzymes perform The function helps the body survive, " he said.

"What we have done is illustrate how tiny nanoparticles can produce significant potential. It is to create a new generation of luminescent transducers for nano-optics and open the way. completely new in the study of living biological processes ".

This study was published in the journal Nature.

Today, microscopes can include many types from optical microscopes using visible light, to electron microscopes, probe scanning microscopes, optical emission microscopes . Microscopes are widely used in many industries such as physics, chemistry, biology, material science, medicine. It is not only an observation tool but also a powerful analysis tool.

Common types of microscopes:

- Optical microscope is a type of microscope that uses visible light to observe images of small objects that are magnified by a system of glass lenses. Optical microscope is the simplest, oldest and most common microscope.

Old optical microscopes often have to look directly at the eye image through the eyepiece, but today's modern glasses are also fitted with CCD cameras or optical movies to take pictures.

- Electron microscope is the common name of the device group observing the micro structure of solid objects. It works on the principle of using electron waves accelerated at high voltages to observe.

Sometimes, the term "electron microscope" is also used for other microscopes, using ion beams to observe (eg helium microscopes, ion beam microscopes .), however This usage is not entirely accurate.

The two most common types of electron microscopes today are: Transmission electron microscopes, scanning electron microscopes.