Thames & Kosmos TK2 Scope, Руководство по эксперименту

Страница: 6 / 52

This is what the cells of a bottle cork look like.
Cork is made from the bark of the cork oak.
What you are looking at here, therefore, are
plant cells.
What do a bottle cork, a carrot, and an elephant
have in common?
In 1665, Robert Hooke apparently did not
know that he was making one of the dis-
coveries of the millennium when he ob-
served that a common bottle cork consists
of tiny hollow spaces. He called these
small spaces “cells.”
At this time, it was not yet known that
all life on Earth is constructed of such
cells. Early “microscopes” (we would refer
to them as magnifying glasses today) were
not yet good enough in those days to see
this. More than 150 years later, two research-
ers, Matthias Schleiden and Theodor Schwann,
were able to demonstrate that all animals and
plants are made of cells using improved microscopes.
So the gigantic body of an elephant is also composed of cells. Are there differenc-
es between “elephant cells” and “carrot cells?” What makes up the strong frame
of the elephant? Are its cells larger, or does it simply have more cells than a carrot
to form its trunk, ears, and belly?
These are just a few of the endless number of questions that you can investigate
and answer with your new microscope. An elephant will most likely not fit under
the microscope. But you will definitely be able to get a sense of the differences
between animals and plants.
In these instructions for your new microscope, you will find out how your micro-
scope works. What is more, we have brought together many examples that will
give you a first impression of the “little world” under the microscope. In order
to make it easier to get the hang of it, the instructions for preparing the objects
as well as tips and tricks are highlighted in colored boxes around the microscopy
techniques.
Before you really get going and prepare your first specimens and slide, you should
read through the following pages to learn how to use the microscope and the
included accessories. Have fun!
I See Something That
You Don’t See
1
6