Leica Microsystems: Leica Science Lab

Science Lab

The knowledge portal of Leica Microsystems offers scientific research and teaching material on the subjects of microscopy. The content is designed to support beginners, experienced practitioners and scientists alike in their everyday work and experiments. Explore interactive tutorials and application notes, discover the basics of microscopy as well as high-end technologies – become part of the Science Lab community and share your expertise!

Image of a tartaric-acid crystal taken with polarization microscopy. Tartaric acid, a diprotic, aldaric carboxylic acid, is a naturally occurring organic compound notably found in grapes.

The Polarization Microscopy Principle

Polarization microscopy is routinely used in the material and earth sciences to identify materials and minerals on the basis of their characteristic refractive properties and colors. In biology,…

A Guide to Spatial Biology

What is spatial biology, and how can researchers leverage its tools to meet the growing demands of biological questions in the post-omics era? This article provides a brief overview of spatial biology…

Image of a 12-μm thick brain section, which was stained with Toluidin blue, before dissection. It was taken with a microscope using a 63x objective.

An Introduction to Laser Microdissection

The heterogeneity of histological and biological specimens often requires isolation of specific single cells or cell groups from surrounding tissue before molecular biology analysis can be carried…

Mouse brain (left) microdissected with a 10x objective (upper right). Inspection of the collection device (lower right).

Molecular Biology Analysis facilitated with Laser Microdissection (LMD)

Extracting biomolecules, proteins, nucleic acids, lipids, and chromosomes, as well as extracting and manipulating cells and tissues with laser microdissection (LMD) enables insights to be gained into…

Image of murine dopaminergic neurons which have been marked for laser microdissection (LMD).

Neuron Isolation in Spatial Context with Laser Microdissection (LMD)

After Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s is the second most common progressive neurodegenerative disease. Before the first symptoms manifest, up to 70% of dopamine-releasing neurons in the mid-brain…

Region of a patterned wafer inspected using optical microscopy and automated and reproducible DIC (differential interference contrast). With DIC users are able to visualize small height differences on the wafer surface more easily.

6-Inch Wafer Inspection Microscope for Reliably Observing Small Height Differences

A 6-inch wafer inspection microscope with automated and reproducible DIC (differential interference contrast) imaging, no matter the skill level of users, is described in this article. Manufacturing…

Camera image during auto alignment. The feedback lines indicate if the correct edges in the image are detected. Green: Vertical center line; Magenta: Upper edge of the light gap; White: Lower edge of the light gap (not visible here, falling together with red line); Red: Knife edge; Blue: Left and right edge of the block face being automatically detected.

Automatic Alignment of Sample and Knife for High Sectioning Quality

Automatic alignment of sample and knife on the ultramicrotome UC Enuity, enabling even untrained users to create ultrathin sections with reduced risk of losing precious sections.

Section ribbons with increasing section thickness - silver to purple ending in blue sections.

High Quality Sectioning in Ultramicrotomy

Discover the significance of achieving high-quality uniform sections with ultramicrotomy for precise imaging in electron microscopy.

Particulate contamination in between moving metal plates.

Key Factors for Efficient Cleanliness Analysis

An overview of the key factors necessary for technical cleanliness and efficient cleanliness analysis concerning automotive and electronics manufacturing and production is provided in this article.

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