Video: Ultramicroscope Creates High-Resolution 3D Images of the Insides of a Fly
Posted on December 6, 2012
Scientists at the Vienna University of Technology have developed laser optics which support high-resolution 3D microscopy. The laser technology and the optics in the device were developed by Saideh Saghafi. She turned a laser beam into an extremely thin two-dimensional laser surface, which can be shone through samples layer by layer. A three dimensional image of the inside of a fly's head is pictured above.
Biological tissue needs to be made transparent to the laser beams for the technology to work. The sample is treated first and any water it contains is replaced with a fluid with different optical properties. This enables laser beams to penetrate deep into the sample.
Optical tricks are used to convert a conventional round laser beam into an elliptical beam, which is transformed in turn into a thin layer of light. Stimulated by the laser light, an extremely thin layer of the sample begins to fluoresce, and this light can be picked up with a camera. Laser light is shone through the sample layer by layer, with an image being taken each time, to create a detailed 3D image of the sample.
The scientists provided this example of high-resolution 3D-pictures of a fly and its insides. It shows shows the fly as seen from the outside, as well as a scan through its inner organs using the new laser technology. Take a look:
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