A sponge a phoenix?

All sponges possess a remarkable ability to regenerate lost parts. A piece cut from the body of a sponge is capable of growing into a complete sponge. This power of regeneration helps the sponges to repair the damage caused in the harsh environment.

Algae with an eye

Euglena species are often abundant in calm waters, where they can be present in such numbers, that the surface of ponds and ditches can have a green or red color.

Euglena is commonly studied in biology classes because it has both plant (it has chloroplasts and so can photosynthesize) and animal (it moves and can eat) characteristics. Depending on conditions, photosynthesis or eating can predominate. It is a single celled creature with a large flagellum (not visible in this video, see below) that lives in fresh water. It is generally elongate but can change its shape quite dramatically during so-called euglenoid movement. It swims using its flagellum and can orientate itself with respect to gravity and light.

From North America to anywhere else

Ceratophyllum demersum is a native of North America. It now has a worldwide distribution, at least in part due to the aquarium and pond trade. It is a submerged aquatic plant which is capable of forming dense monospecific beds, excluding other plant species, causing problems to recreational activities on waterways and in some cases causing blockages at hydroelectric power stations. C. demersum can spread rapidly, and grows in a large range of aquatic habitats.

Eating corn smut?

Common smut of corn, caused by Ustilago zeae (now known as U. maydis), is easily identified by tumor-like galls that form on actively growing host tissues and contain masses of dark, sooty teliospores.

Whirling like a wheel

Rotifers are microscopic aquatic animals of the phylum Rotifera. Rotifers can be found in many freshwater environments and in moist soil, where they inhabit the thin films of water that are formed around soil particles. The habitat of rotifers may include still water environments, such as lake bottoms, as well as flowing water environments, such as rivers or streams.

Rheinberg illumination

An interesting variance of darkfield is Rheinberg illumination, discovered in 1896 in London by Julius Rheinberg. The major difference between darkfield and Rheinberg illumination is color. Whereas in darkfield, the background is black and the subject is white, Rheinberg goes a step further and creates a colored background and a colored subject.

MOTIC’s New Tablet Solutions: enabling computer-free digital microscopy

Tablets and handheld computer devices are common place in every corner of working life. In schools, clinics or industrial applications, data gets captured, processed and transmitted using Android, Windows or iOS tablet devices.

Bringing this technology and flexibility to proper use in microscopy, Motic’s new Moticam Tablet solutions enable the user to choose the perfect solution for their circumstances. Following on the footsteps of Motic’s recent products to enable computer-free digital microscopy, the Moticam BTU8 and BTU10 feature a fully

Extremely tiny but very useful ‘hair’

Ciliated epithelium is a type of bodily tissue that is lined with “ciliated” cells, which are basically cells that have small, hair-like protrusions known as “cilia” that can either help the cells move along the tissue or can help debris and waste move along the surface of the cells. Cilia typically move in one direction in a wavelike

Color fidelity and fast live image: the new Moticam 1080 Full HD Multi-Output camera is waiting for you!

Turning an ephemeral microscopic image into solid data has become the norm in working with microscopes. But the focus in daily work flow may vary. Sometimes in first instance a speedy live image with true colors for presentation purposes and discussion is needed, and the possible database may be of minor importance. In industrial QC the quantification of saved image data is the key issue. Thanks to its multi-output configuration the Moticam 1080 covers both demands. HDMI and USB signal even can be used to run the camera on HDMI and PC screen in a parallel mode.

Moticam 1080 is dedicated to the presentation and documentation of microscopic results with a clear focus on fast live image and maximum colour fidelity. The impressive 1080 (60P) HDMI live image perfectly fits to the presentation of

Motic Images Plus 3.0 – a fresh approach for a powerful microscopy software

The marriage of light microscope and digital camera is a story of success. During the last decade, Motic’ digital products expanded into areas and markets where digital microscopy has been out of reach due to its price perception. One necessary component of this success is a powerful yet easy-to-handle software which covers concordant requirements in medical, educational and industrial applications. From the beginning, Motic Images Plus software supplied useful tools to optimize a fast live image for storage as a still image, image sequence or video. In a second step, a number of quantification tools enable multiple measurements ready to be exported for further use.

Color fidelity is a self-evident expectation on any digital camera. The new Motic Images Plus 3.0 software comes with an interactive White Balance and Background Balance in order to optimize the image background in terms of color temperature or shading. The characteristic of CMOS sensors is responded by a Color Correction tool.

A calibrated Scalebar in the live image helps for a first estimate of size and can be saved as an overlay; a variable Grid may replace the pattern of various counting chambers. But also Interactive Measurements are now possible within the Live image. The necessary calibration slide is integral part of Motic’s All-in-One camera concept and causes no additional costs.

Once the image data are saved, nearly all geometric figures can be used to outline structures to be quantified. Export of these data is possible in Excel or *txt format. An Image Comparison (recent image versus database image) is a helpful option in industrial Quality Control.

Motic Images Plus 3.0ML will start shipping as standard with the new upgraded Moticam Plus cameras (that will come out in the next coming months) as well as the new multi-function HDMI camera, the Moticam 1080.

As is normal practice with Motic, each end-user can upgrade their existing Motic Images Plus 2.0 to the new 3.0 anytime, anywhere, and free of charge. This sleek, new and thought-out software package is running with an identical interface on Windows, Apple or Linux operating systems and certainly empowers your microscope to be a more efficient scientific tool. Even more as Motic Images Plus 3.0 is a real Multilingual software; a change of language is done within a second.

Click here to download the new Motic Images Plus 3.0.