Registering Your Digital Microscope.

You just bought a new digital microscope.  Now you’re wondering if there is an update to the software that comes with your purchase?

To access the latest version of software, you must register your digital product. You may do this by going to the Motic Website and clicking on the support tab, and then click on the "register your digital product." Next, fill out the information requested; such as the DM serial number (which can be found on the CD sleeve),  your email, where you purchased the microscope, and purchased date. 

Once the  information is entered, press submit, and you will receive a confirmation email with your username and password. Now you may login and download the latest version of the software.

What's Living in Your Backyard?

Do you ever wonder what really causes that furry green stuff to grow in a body of water and sit at its surface? Did you ever think that something could be living in that green stuff, more commonly referred to as algae? Microorganisms – defined as tiny one-celled organisms, viruses, fungi, and bacteria – live in buckets of water that have been sitting out too long and places like ponds. For fun, collect some water from your local pond (about 3 cm. deep) and look at it under the microscope. See how many different things you and your family can see! For this experiment and more that you can do at home, visit the American Society for Microbiology’s education page.

CSI: Your Home

Ever wish you were a hard core crime scene detective that put all the clues together, figured out who the bad guy was and led the way to his capture? Well here's your chance to do exactly what a forensics team does during their investigation after a crime.  Investigators look for clothing fibers, carpet fibers, hair, fingerprints, soil that could've been tracked in on shoes and, of course, blood stains.  While it doesn't seem like these things would tell you much about who was where or who committed a certain crime, under a microscope, several details come to light.

Grab your microscope, a magnifying glass, some plain glass slides, some paper and a pencil, samples of hair from people and animals and numerous fibers like wool, silk and rayon, and get ready, you're going to be the next big detective!

Visit Home Science Tools' website for information on how to see and use fingerprints, hair and fibers when solving a crime.

Burgers, Fries and Microscopes

Whether you like it dry, with extra cheese or with the works, a burger is one of America’s staples.  And, of course, it just isn’t a burger unless it comes with a side of crisp, golden fries.  Do you ever wonder what the juicy American classic looks like under the lens of a microscope?  What about all the fixings?  Laurence Zuckerman, Thomas Fellers, Omar Alvarado and Michael Davidson of Florida State University put the infamous crowd pleasers under the scope for a closer look at what we’re eating. Check out what they saw!