Picture for a moment the toxicologist, bending over his microscope to isolate and identify toxins--the biologist seeking new species in creek water--the geneticist parsing the double helix. Think of the physician, the scientist, even the micro-engineers. Now imagine those same specialists without one crucial piece of equipment: the microscope. Where would we be without this so-important "lens"?
The first "light microscope" owes its invention to Zacharias Jansen in the 1590's, but interest in magnification began much earlier. The Romans explored the properties of glass and how, depending on curve and angle, it could make small objects appear larger. Later developments...
