Study: Van Leeuwenhoek Achieved Pioneering Results with Ordinary Lens
Written by AZoOpticsMay 17 2021
A new study by Rijksmuseum Boerhaave Leiden and TU Delft demonstrates that a microscope utilized by Antoni van Leeuwenhoek to carry out pioneering research includes a surprisingly ordinary lens.
Microscope lenses reconstructed according to the method of Robert Hooke, which Antoni van Leeuwenhoek also used for his highly magnifying microscopes. Image Credit: Rijksmuseum Boerhaave/TU Delft.
It is a noteworthy finding since Van Leeuwenhoek (1632–1723) guided other researchers to think that his instruments were exceptional. As a result, there have been various guesses regarding his technique for making lenses for over 300 years. The study findings were published in the journal
Abstract
The technique of neutron tomography has, after 350 years, enabled a first look inside the iconic single-lens microscopes of Antoni van Leeuwenhoek. Van Leeuwenhoek’s 17th-century discovery of “animalcules” marks the birth of microbiology. His skillfully self-produced microscope lenses remained unsurpassed for over 150 years. Neutron tomography now enabled us to reveal the lens types Van Leeuwenhoek used. We argue that Van Leeuwenhoek’s instruments incorporate some innovations that testify to an awareness of concurrent developments. In particular, our analysis shows that for making his best-performing microscopes, Van Leeuwenhoek deployed a lens-making procedure popularized in 1678 by Robert Hooke. This is notable, as Hooke always wanted to find the secret of Van Leeuwenhoek’s lenses, but never managed to do so. Therefore, Van Leeuwenhoek was far from the isolated scholar he is often claimed to be; rather, his secrecy about his lenses was motivated by an attempt to
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IMAGE: Microscope lenses reconstructed according to the method of Robert Hooke, which Antoni van Leeuwenhoek also used for his highly magnifying microscopes. view more
Credit: Rijksmuseum Boerhaave/TU Delft
A microscope used by Antoni van Leeuwenhoek to conduct pioneering research contains a surprisingly ordinary lens, as new research by Rijksmuseum Boerhaave Leiden and TU Delft shows. It is a remarkable finding, because Van Leeuwenhoek (1632-1723) led other scientists to believe that his instruments were exceptional. Consequently, there has been speculation about his method for making lenses for more than three centuries. The results of this study were published in
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Many bacteria are capable of swimming 60 or even 100 times their own length in a second. This mobility constantly outdistances the cheetah the fastest animal on the planet. Since Van Leeuwenhoek, known as the Father of Microbiology, first observed mobile bacteria in the 17th century, bacterial mobility and their mechanisms have attracted extensive research interests. A host of microbiologists, biochemists and biophysicists have committed their studies in this field, but many questions remain elusive.
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