November 2009
Algae Everywhere! I receive a number of scientific publications for work and generally browse through them in the ‘twilight zone’ on a Friday evening as the working week winds down and the weekend begins. This month there have been a number of interesting articles on algae. Laboratory News carried an article on the potential involvement of algae in the mass extinctions that have occurred during history. Certainly everyone is aware of the theories about meteor-strikes being the most likely cause of the dinosaur extinction, and the possibility of ‘super-volcanoes’ being linked to other events.
Researchers in Italy now believe that algae may have been the main culprits. Their theory is that the atmospheric dust generated by one of these events, once it settled into aquatic environments, will have triggered a massive explosion in the algal population due to the increased nutrients. This may have led to increased algal or cyanobacterial toxins resulting in the deaths of both aquatic animals and of herbivores that require large volumes of drinking water, with the subsequent collapse of whole ecosystems. An interesting theory, certainly supported by the toxic algal blooms that have been reported in recent years.
More positively, Nature ran a lead article titled ‘Gold Rush for Algae’. For some time oil giants and others have been looking for alternative renewable fuel-sources. Whilst biofuels from agricultural crops are making some contribution, their widespread use would divert land away from food production; the sums simply do not add up. Enter algae, and the possibility of growing algae on non-agricultural land and harvesting oils and alcohols from the algal cells that can be converted into advanced biofuels.
According to Nature, more than $1 billion has been invested in algae-to-energy research and, whilst large scale quantities of fuel have not yet been produced, results so far look promising. The algae are either grown in large open-air lagoons, or under more controlled conditions (although more expensively) in bioreactor systems. Work is also taking place to identify and isolate high-yielding species and strains of algae, and the use of genetic manipulation techniques to enhance productivity.
So, next time you look at pond-water down your microscope remember; you could be looking at the future of our planet!
On a personal note, we’re off to spend some time with relatives in Perth, Western Australia in a few days. I’m hurriedly trying to assemble collecting equipment and sample bottles for some tardigrade work and I hope to visit some freshwater stromatolites. Assuming the spiders don’t get me, I shall report back in the December blog. Enjoy your microscopy!
October 2009
It has been some time since I updated the ‘blog’ – September and October have been busy months! For me, two of the most enjoyable events in the Club’s calendar are now behind us – the Annual Exhibition and Microscopium – and it is time to relax and enjoy my microscopy.
Click on image to see larger version
This year the diversity of members’ exhibits seemed even more interesting than previous years and it was good to have some of the Club’s collections on display for all to see. I was particularly impressed by the oversized slides of insect mounts (shown in the picture) – they re not necessarily that good under the microscope but certainly have a visual impact on display. One of the highlights this year was the guided tour of the Museum’s Bryozoa section kindly led by Mary Spencer-Jones.
Mary was keen to tell us that she is the only dedicated full-time curator of bryozoa in the world! She certainly entertained with her knowledge of the subject and the collections on display were simply superb and included material collected by Charles Darwin and mounted onto slides by George Busk, one of the founders of the Microscopical Society of London (now the Royal Microscopical Society). Very different in nature, and foll owing only two weeks later, was Microscopium, the Club’s sales day. Despite arriving over two hours late due to a navigational disaster (I must remember to buy a ‘sat-nav’ for the car and not another objective!), I had a successful time selling items on behalf of the son of a Club member from Northern Ireland. We had met up in motorway services on the M6 in the Lake District earlier in the year (this being approximately half-way between Belfast and Surrey!) and furtively loaded microscope cases and boxes of accessories in the car-park, much to the interest of other road users. The day after Microscopium is always the greatest pleasure; being able to tidy up the microscope room after months of chaos. All is neat and orderly now, but I am sure it will not last!
August 2009
The holiday in Italy was a complete success; the microscope with its newly installed LED lighting performed superbly and I was able to cut and polish a large quantity of amber – interspersed with viewing the local towns and villages and enjoying some of the wines for which Tuscany is famous.
Click on image to see larger version
As predicted, the microscope caused the usual confusion for the X-ray operators
at both Heathrow and Pisa airport. In Heathrow, we and the microscope were
swabbed for explosives by a large and slightly daunting security officer; the
experience in Pisa was much more pleasant with two young uniformed lady
officers. We were let out of the county as soon as one could declare to the
other ‘aah, mikroscopio!’.
We visited a superb natural history museum in Sienna, the Museo di Storia Nutural. Everything a traditional natural history museum should be, with the added bonus of an entire gallery of terracotta models of fungi made by Francesco Valenti Serini who lived from 1795 to 1862. Over 800 pieces are on display, from a total collection of 1,800. Simply superb! I also discovered an interesting phenomenon in the main Duomo (cathedral) in Tuscany.
Click on image to see larger version
Using a ‘compact bridge’ digital camera, I was trying to take a photograph of the ceiling of the central dome. On the viewfinder I could see a series of series of red lines tracing across the base of the dome which were not visible by eye, or on the completed picture. Presumably these were infra-red security beams but why were they detectable only on the viewfinder?
Onto other matters. On the way back from a business journey to Torbay, I took the opportunity to call into the Somerset village of Langport to collect some microscopes that have generously been donated to the Club to aid proceeds. Langport as many members will know is the birthplace of John Thomas Quekett and I was kindly guided to the graveyard of All Saints’ Church where John’s parents William and Mary are buried, alongside the grave of their second son Edward who became a banker.
It was a humbling experience to stand before these graves; I hope the family did not mind me acquiring a small piece of moss from the gravestone to look for tardigrades. Somehow it seemed a symbolic thing to do.
The grave on the right side is that of the parents William and Mary. The inscription is fading badly but reads ‘? ? Lie The Remains of William Quekett. Son of this Town, he Died 12th August 1842 Aged 79 Years. Also of Mary His Wife who Died 2? March 1842 Aged 67 Years’. The grave on the left is in better condition and reads ‘Sacred to the Memory of Edward Quekett, Son of William and Mary Quekett who Died April 15th 1875 Aged 70 Years. And of Frances Quekett his Wife who died December 5th 1879. Also of Edward Hyde Quekett Their Only Son who Died October 19th 1852 Aged 4 Years.’
July 2009
Firstly I must apologise for the lateness of my blog this month. As you may recall, I have been experimenting with LED illumination for the 'maid of all work' stereo that I use for cutting and shaping amber. Like all projects, this has taken much longer to reach completion than anticipated - and certainly not helped by starting two other projects at the same time! More of these another time.
Click on image to see larger version
Click on image to see larger version
Many thanks to those who responded to my dilemmas regarding the benefits of LEDs. Taking some of this advice, I finally committed to removing all the wiring, sockets and switches for the original mains voltage bulbs, and based the project around a 9 LED torch head for incident illumination and a multiple LED unit, which I bought some time ago as a cheap magnetic work lamp for the car. These are generally available at less than £3.00 and run off 3 AAA batteries.
Because I didn't want to rely on battery power (they always run out at the wrong time) I wanted to fit a transformer for the LEDs and eventually bought a variable voltage adapter from Maplins. It proved remarkably easy to prise off the casing and three-pin plug and extract the transformer and circuit board, which was then mounted in a plastic project case for protection and bolted into the base of the microscope. The incident LED simply replaced the original bulb and condensing lens; the LEDs did not focus well with the lens. I also took the opportunity to mount a transformer (again removed from a mains adapter) for the miniature circular saw that I use for the initial cutting of amber, which now simply plugs into the microscope base.
I suppose one final task would be to repaint the microscope. Why are microscopes always painted such dull colours? I think I might try yellow, or orange.
Amazingly for me I have completed this project 24 hours before it is needed. Tomorrow the microscope is packed into hand luggage for a week’s holiday in Italy. My idea of paradise, sitting outside of the villa, working on my amber under the Tuscan sun! Interestingly, every time I take the microscope through airport security we are taken to one side and swabbed for explosives. I think the pillar of the microscope looks like a gun barrel on X-Ray - and they don't see many microscopes going through the airport!
May 2009
I sometimes seem to spend more time 'messing around' with microscopes than actually using them. I have a fairly basic stereomicroscope (a Siewa with x10 and x20 magnification) that I use while cutting and shaping amber. The initial shaping is done with a small circular saw that creates a lot of dust and I don't want to spoil a better quality microscope while doing it.
Whilst the stereo that I use fits the purpose well, the inbuilt mains voltage transmitted and incident lighting is often inadequate for finding a fossil insect deep in darkened amber and Carel Sartory's superb article in the Journal on LED illumination has been uppermost in my mind for several months.
Finally, the opportunity came to obtain two multi-LED torches at the end of a recent Land Rover rally - the switches had failed but the LED's and batteries were intact. Removing the LED board from the torch required some dramatic action with a hacksaw (an non-reversible modification so no going back now) and it has been easy to disassemble the existing built-in lighting from the microscope and temporarily position the LEDs using Blu-Tac (my answer to most engineering problems).
However, the light intensity (especially when diffused) seems no better than the original mains lamps and I am not yet convinced this will be a beneficial change. I have tried a LED ring light in the transmitted position and this is better but will cost significantly more, plus the addition of a small transformer which I was hoping to avoid.
As they say, the jury is still out. I now need to use the microscope again so I have to re-assemble everything into a working state again before deciding on the final lighting solution. It looks like I will be 'messing around' with microscopes for some time to come! I was interested to read that algae can dance! Researchers studying Volvox (a well-known algae consisting of up to 1,000 cells arranged in a sphere up to 0.5 mm in diameter) found that the cells form a stable grouping but 'dance' around each other, held together only by the fluid flows they create.
What next - singing rotifers?
April 2009
I must start with an admission; I hate the word ‘blog’! However, it is the accepted term for what is effectively a diary in cyberspace, open for all to see. It gives me the opportunity to tell you a little bit about me, what I do, and the pleasure I get from my microscopy. Unlike a real diary I will not write it nightly but I do hope to update it at monthly intervals.
So, to start with a few words about myself. I recently described myself as having ‘one wife, two dogs (springer spaniels), three Land Rovers and too many microscopes!’ I have been a Quekett member since my late teenage years – and an enthusiastic microscopist since my early teens.
Like many of us, microscopes have come and gone as the opportunity to improve has arisen, and I am now committed to modern instruments; the quality of optics is simply superb. However, through the mentoring of Brian Davidson in particular I have developed a passion for historical instruments and slides and have slowly built up a modest collection. I am lucky in both having a dedicated room for my microscopy – and a very tolerant wife!
My main activities with the microscope are tardigrades or waterbears – the most amazing beasties – and fossilised insects in amber, about which I hope an article will soon appear in the Journal. In Quekett terms I am still quite young – 46 years old – the downside of this being that I still have to work. I started out as a practical microbiologist in the pharmaceutical industry and joined a consultancy company about 12 years ago where I am now responsible for a ‘business unit’ employing 20 consultants who help companies and government containment laboratories with meeting regulations.
Although the days can sometimes be long, the travel involved does sometimes provide the opportunity to call in on Quekett members around the country. I recently had the pleasure of a morning with Don Thompson and took with me a variety of objects I have acquired on E-Bay, or have been bequeathed to the Club, all in need of Don’s attention.
Amongst my purchases was a Bausch and Lomb interference objective that I had assumed to be a Mirau pattern. Don soon recognised it as a rare Tolansky design, which Don himself had not seen previously. By the time I arrived home that evening Don had telephoned with a status report on al the objects I left with him, and had already persuaded most to work properly! Thanks Don! Assuming Don and I can get the Tolansky objective to work, I’ll post some photographs on my next blog.
Phil Greaves