Taking the Confusion out of Confocal Microscopy

Nana Rezai | Pages 75-80 | BioTeach Online Journal | Vol. 1 | Fall 2003

Confocal microscopy is a major advance upon normal light microscopy since it allows one to see not only deep into cells and tissues, but to also create a three dimensional image. There are many aspects to a confocal microscope that make it a much more versatile instrument than a conventional fluorescence microscope. Although the confocal microscope is often thought of only as an instrument that can create 3D images of live cells, the great versatility of the machines means that many creative ways of examining not just the structural details, but also the dynamics of cellular processes are being developed