Newly Discovered Microscope For Amazing Underwater World Study First Time In Science History

Overview

• Post By : Kumar Jeetendra


• Source: University of California - San Diego.


• Date: 14 Jul,2016

Researcher from University of California – San Diego develop new Microscopic imaging technique which gives an amazing study of underwater world never done before means first time in science history. According to sources newly discovered microscope gives study of millimeter-scale processes as commonly occur in seafloor.

Researcher recently used this technique for certain most interesting and amazing study under water like coral turf wars, coral polyp "kissing," and many more.

The microscope named, Benthic Underwater Microscope, or BUM has two parts first an underwater computer system for better study of underwater life with amazing nearly micron resolution and instrument has a high magnification lens, a ring of focused LED lights for fast exposures, fluorescence imaging capabilities, and a flexible tunable lens, similar to the human eye, to change focus for viewing structures in 3-D.

"This underwater microscope is the first instrument to image the seafloor at such small scales," said Scripps PhD student Andrew Mullen, co-lead author of the study published in the July 12 issue of the journal Nature Communications. "The system is capable of seeing features as small as single cells underwater."

"This instrument is a part of a new trend in ocean research to bring the lab to the ocean, instead of bringing the ocean to the lab," said study co-lead author Tali Treibitz, a former Scripps postdoctoral researcher now at the University of Haifa's Charney School of Marine Science.

Story source/Credit: University of California – San Diego.

Journal References:

Andrew D. Mullen, Tali Treibitz, Paul L. D. Roberts, Emily L. A. Kelly, Rael Horwitz, Jennifer E. Smith, Jules S. Jaffe. Underwater microscopy for in situ studies of benthic ecosystems. Nature Communications, 2016; 7: 12093 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms12093