Five Of The Most Surprising Uses Of Microscope

Having been in microscopy sales for 18 years, we’ve sold microscopes for just about every type of microscopy application imaginable. Most people, when thinking of uses of microscope, immediately think of life science and medical applications such as cell biology, pathology and histology, which are the most common. However, there are also some very fascinating and unusual applications that our team have come across over the years and today we’re sharing with you five of these:

Microscope Uses

Beer

After a pH meter, a microscope is one of the most important pieces of equipment for a brewery to have in their laboratory. A compound microscope is used together with a counting chamber (known as a haemocytometer) to:

1. Count yeast cells, which is useful for measuring the pitching rate (the process of adding yeast to wort, to trigger fermentation and create beer)

2. Determine the remaining cell density when bottling beer

3. Measure yeast densities in yeast sediment.

Entomology

Identifying and researching insects is important not just because of their ecological role, but they also play a large role in agriculture, human health and natural resources. Insects have been used since ancient times as medicinal agents, offering cures and protection from diseases such as bacterial infections, HIV and cancer. Another fascinating microscope use involving insects is the research of drosophila (fruit flies) using stereo microscopes and often fluorescence microscopy to investigate biological processes such as genetics, embryonic development and aging.

Formula 1

Microscopes play a large role in the automotive industry for inspecting paintwork and parts. Particularly exciting though is when we get to visit the Formula 1 teams’ headquarters! An incredible level of attention is paid to the fine details in this sport, including checking the engine oil for particles to prevent wear and ensuring the cleanliness of the racing car parts to ensure no friction anywhere in the system. Specialist particle counting microscope systems are used for this.

Diggers

As with Formula 1 race cars, diggers must also have their transmission oils, gearboxes, engine oils and hydraulic oils checked for unwanted particles using specialist particle counting microscope systems, to eliminate any potential friction and possible wear on these parts.