Microscopy Quotes

“Did you know that embryologists have recently captured the moment of conception via fluorescence microscopy? What they discovered is that at the exact moment a sperm penetrates an egg, the egg releases billions of zinc atoms that emit light. Sparks fly, literally! That miracle of conception is a microcosm that mirrors God's first four words.”
― Mark Batterson, Whisper: How to Hear the Voice of God

“The inventions of microscopy and telescopy shattered the boundaries of ordinary human perception and fueled the scientific revolution.”
― Richard J. Borden, Ecology and Experience: Reflections from a Human Ecological Perspective

“The advent of low temperature scanning EM led to a study by Bill Wergin and colleagues from NASA in which they collected samples from different types of snow cover found in the prairies, taiga (snow forest), and alpine environments. With snow depths up to a metre, various layers occurred in which the crystals underwent a change in their microscopic shape from the original freshly fallen crystals, to the development of flat faces and sharp edges. It is this metamorphosis of lying snow that determines the likelihood of avalanches, which can be predicted from the crystal structures at various depths. Although scanning EM (electron microscopy) is hardly available as a routine assay in distant mountain regions, this work helped in the use of microwave radiology investigation of the snow water equivalent in the snow pack, as large snow crystals scatter passive microwave more than small crystals. Smaller and more rounded crystals of snow do not interlock, and can slide more easily over each other, increasing the risk of avalanches.”
― Terence Allen, Microscopy: A Very Short Introduction

“At one end of the scale, astronomers search the heavens for new information about the universe, whilst at the other end, microscopists chase atoms and molecules to study defects in crystals or the basic processes of life. These investigations may be separated by more than twentyfold orders of magnitude, but are nevertheless driven by the same insatiable curiosity of the human psyche to explore beyond the vision of our own eyes.”
― Terence Allen, Microscopy: A Very Short Introduction