History of the Optical Microscope in Cell Biology and Medicine

2008 ◽  
Author(s):  
Barry R Masters
Keyword(s):  
Cell Biology ◽  
Optical Microscope ◽  
History Of

Some early history of replica techniques for electron microscopy

1992 ◽  
Vol 50 (2) ◽  
pp. 1076-1077
Author(s):  
Robert M. Fisher
Keyword(s):  
Thin Film ◽  
Electron Microscopy ◽  
Optical Microscope ◽  
Early History ◽  
Bulk Materials ◽  
Thin Sections ◽  
Transmission Electron ◽  
Reflected Light ◽  
History Of ◽  
Electron Microscopes

By 1940, a half dozen or so commercial or home-built transmission electron microscopes were in use for studies of the ultrastructure of matter. These operated at 30-60 kV and most pioneering microscopists were preoccupied with their search for electron transparent substrates to support dispersions of particulates or bacteria for TEM examination and did not contemplate studies of bulk materials. Metallurgist H. Mahl and other physical scientists, accustomed to examining etched, deformed or machined specimens by reflected light in the optical microscope, were also highly motivated to capitalize on the superior resolution of the electron microscope. Mahl originated several methods of preparing thin oxide or lacquer impressions of surfaces that were transparent in his 50 kV TEM. The utility of replication was recognized immediately and many variations on the theme, including two-step negative-positive replicas, soon appeared. Intense development of replica techniques slowed after 1955 but important advances still occur. The availability of 100 kV instruments, advent of thin film methods for metals and ceramics and microtoming of thin sections for biological specimens largely eliminated any need to resort to replicas.

Metaphors and other slippery creatures

2019 ◽  
Vol 52 (2) ◽  
pp. 345-352
Author(s):  
James E. Strick
Keyword(s):  
Cell Biology ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Building Blocks ◽  
State University ◽  
Arizona State University ◽  
Living Things ◽  
History Of ◽  
Dialectical Relationship ◽  
Rich Material ◽  
And Function

What are cells? How are they related to each other and to the organism as a whole? These questions have exercised biology since Schleiden and Schwann (1838–1839) first proposed cells as the key units of structure and function of all living things. But how do we try to understand them? Through new technologies like the achromatic microscope and the electron microscope. But just as importantly, through the metaphors our culture has made available to biologists in different periods and places. These two new volumes provide interesting history and philosophy of the development of cell biology. Reynolds surveys the field's changing conceptual structure by examining the varied panoply of changing metaphors used to conceptualize and explain cells – from cells as empty boxes, as building blocks, to individual organisms, to chemical factories, and through many succeeding metaphors up to one with great currency today: cells as social creatures in communication with others in their community. There is some of this approach in the Visions edited collection as well. But this collection also includes rich material on the technologies used to visualize cells and their dialectical relationship with the epistemology of the emerging distinct discipline of cell biology. This volume centres on, but is not limited to, ‘reflections inspired by [E.V.] Cowdry's [1924 volume] General Cytology’; it benefits from a conference on the Cowdry volume as well as a 2011 Marine Biological Lab/Arizona State University workshop on the history of cell biology.

scholarly journals An expanded view of the eukaryotic cytoskeleton

2013 ◽  
Vol 24 (11) ◽  
pp. 1615-1618 ◽  
Author(s):  
James B. Moseley
Keyword(s):  
Complex System ◽  
Cell Biology ◽  
Linear Polymers ◽  
Polymer Systems ◽  
History Of ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Future Work ◽  
Biology Research ◽  
In Cells

A rich and ongoing history of cell biology research has defined the major polymer systems of the eukaryotic cytoskeleton. Recent studies have identified additional proteins that form filamentous structures in cells and can self-assemble into linear polymers when purified. This suggests that the eukaryotic cytoskeleton is an even more complex system than previously considered. In this essay, I examine the case for an expanded definition of the eukaryotic cytoskeleton and present a series of challenges for future work in this area.

Drawing on Popular Culture: Using Tattooing to Introduce Biological Concepts

2012 ◽  
Vol 74 (6) ◽  
pp. 381-385 ◽  
Author(s):  
DorothyBelle Poli ◽  
Matthew Fleenor ◽  
Matthew Rearick
Keyword(s):  
Popular Culture ◽  
Cell Biology ◽  
Western World ◽  
Rite Of Passage ◽  
Biological Phenomena ◽  
History Of ◽  
Relevant Topic ◽  
Biological Concepts ◽  
Rich History ◽  
Scientific Fields

Collaboration between two biologists and a physicist resulted in the example of tattooing being used as a motivator to support discussion across several scientific fields (cell biology, microbiology, human health, and physics). Although often viewed as self-destructive and rebellious in the Western world, tattooing has a deep and rich history full of meaning, for example as a rite of passage. Our main objective was to use a culturally relevant topic as a way to increase student engagement and learning while linking biological phenomena and physics. We describe this experience and provide a brief background on how the art and history of tattooing can aid in teaching young biologists.

Electron Microscopy and cell biology in the 20th century

1992 ◽  
Vol 50 (1) ◽  
pp. 8-9
Author(s):  
Keith R. Porter
Keyword(s):  
Electron Microscopy ◽  
Tissue Culture ◽  
Light Microscopy ◽  
Cell Biology ◽  
Culture Medium ◽  
Specimen Preparation ◽  
Distilled Water ◽  
Access To Information ◽  
History Of ◽  
A Cell

The recent history of cell biology cannot be recorded without generous reference to electron microscopy. After all, it was this instrument and the enormous increase in resolution it provided that gave cell biologists access to information that even the most imaginative of investigators had not submitted to the printed page. This paper will record highlights that a few investigators introduced into specimen preparation. This pursuit has contributed more to the progress, i.e. history, of the field than is generally recognized. The first images of cells that can be said to reveal something new were published in 1945. They were micrographs of thinly spread cells grown in tissue culture on surfaces coated with formvar and thence with evaporated carbon. After the suitability of a cell or group of cells had been established by light microscopy, they were freed of culture medium with balanced salt solution and fixed with OsO4. Thereafter, and before drying, the selected cells were washed in distilled water, and to get the cells onto a grid, a small flap of the formvar film was separated from the glass surface and floated over the grid. Subsequently, the preparation was drained of H2O on filter paper and allowed to dry. Cells that resided in open areas between the wires of the grid were available for examination.

scholarly journals Applications of Amniotic Membrane and Fluid in Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine

2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kerry Rennie ◽  
Andrée Gruslin ◽  
Markus Hengstschläger ◽  
Duanqing Pei ◽  
Jinglei Cai ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Stem Cell ◽  
Regenerative Medicine ◽  
Amniotic Membrane ◽  
Cell Biology ◽  
Cell Types ◽  
Prenatal Diagnostic ◽  
History Of ◽  
Diagnostic Applications ◽  
History Of Use ◽  
Paracrine Actions

The amniotic membrane (AM) and amniotic fluid (AF) have a long history of use in surgical and prenatal diagnostic applications, respectively. In addition, the discovery of cell populations in AM and AF which are widely accessible, nontumorigenic and capable of differentiating into a variety of cell types has stimulated a flurry of research aimed at characterizing the cells and evaluating their potential utility in regenerative medicine. While a major focus of research has been the use of amniotic membrane and fluid in tissue engineering and cell replacement, AM- and AF-derived cells may also have capabilities in protecting and stimulating the repair of injured tissues via paracrine actions, and acting as vectors for biodelivery of exogenous factors to treat injury and diseases. Much progress has been made since the discovery of AM and AF cells with stem cell characteristics nearly a decade ago, but there remain a number of problematic issues stemming from the inherent heterogeneity of these cells as well as inconsistencies in isolation and culturing methods which must be addressed to advance the field towards the development of cell-based therapies. Here, we provide an overview of the recent progress and future perspectives in the use of AM- and AF-derived cells for therapeutic applications.

Hypertension: Blood pressure regulating systems: cellular, integrative, and therapeutic aspects

1987 ◽  
Vol 65 (8) ◽  
pp. 1515-1515
Author(s):  
Paul I. Korner ◽  
Frans H. H. Leenen
Keyword(s):  
Blood Pressure ◽  
Information Exchange ◽  
Cell Biology ◽  
Large Range ◽  
State Of The Art ◽  
South Australia ◽  
Current State ◽  
History Of ◽  
Generous Financial Support ◽  
Formed Part

This is only the second time in the long history of the International Physiological Congresses that a symposium on hypertension has formed part of the official satellite programme. After the 1983 IUPS Congress in Sydney, John Chalmers organized a magnificent satellite meeting at the Flinders Medical Centre in South Australia and we felt that we wished to continue the "tradition." Hypertension research has provided a wonderful example in recent years of how exciting it can be to apply very basic discoveries to the solution of practical problems. This meeting breaks new ground in being the first scientific event sponsored jointly by the Canadian Hypertension Society and the Australian High Blood Pressure Council. The meeting was made possible by generous financial support from Pfizer Canada and Pfizer Australia with, as co-contributors, Bayer Germany and Sandoz Australia. We would also like to acknowledge the help of Mrs. A. Garat of Pfizer Canada Medical Services in the organization of the meeting and Dr. Andrew Rankin who was responsible for all local arrangements.The Hypertension Satellite was held at Whistler, B.C., July 19–21, 1986, following the 30th International Congress of the International Union of Physiological Sciences in Vancouver. It provided a good forum for interdisciplinary information exchange. It also proved to be a pleasant social occasion in the beautiful setting of the coastal range of the Canadian Rockies. There were 48 invited speakers from Canada, Australia, Europe, the U.S.A., Japan, and New Zealand. We were fortunate in having as our patrons two great names in hypertension research, Dr. Arthur Guyton and Dr. Sydney Friedman.Emphasis was on a large range of mechanisms that regulate blood pressure. There were sessions on cell biology, the kidney, autonomic nervous regulation, peptides (including, of course, atrial natriuretic peptide and arginine vasopressin), and pathogenesis. The proceedings provide an up-to-date account of the position of the current "state of the art" in a number of important areas.

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