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Read the
magazine
story to find out more. New Way to
View, Identify Minute PestsBy Luis Pons May 23, 2002Getting a better microscopic view of a
mite is now possible using a new specimen holder designed by
Agricultural Research Service botanist
Eric Erbe. According to Erbe, who works with the
Soybean
Genomics Improvement Laboratory in Beltsville, Md., the specially built
holder is an important accessory for scientists interested in obtaining more
complete descriptions of mites, insects and other pests. Accurate
identifications of the pests are an important step toward reducing or
preventing the economic losses mites cause, estimated to be billions of dollars
annually. The new holder improves the accuracy of viewing mites and other species of
insects and nematodes through low-temperature scanning electron microscopy
(LTSEM), the method that produces those scary, detailed close-ups that look
like they belong in a science fiction movie. Standard specimen holders for LTSEM viewing can cost several hundred dollars
apiece, an expense that sometimes curbs experiments requiring multiple holders.
Holders are also limited by the microscope stages tilt capabilities,
making it difficult for researchers to see all sides of a specimen once it is
placed into the microscope. Erbes innovative holder, made of scrap metal, allows a 90-degree tilt
for observation of the edges of flat specimens. It can also be used to obtain
side, front and back views of specimens normally mounted with just the top side
exposed. Rotating samples in the new holder yields a series of micrographs that
provides a 360-degree view of an object or specimen. Erbe has developed a unique display of insects and mites by turning these
micrographs into what he calls box photos. A single photographed layout of the
top and sides of a mite, insect or nematode can be copied, cut and folded to
form a cube that displays the creature in three dimensions. Read more about this technology in the
Mayissue of Agricultural Research magazine. Create a sample box mite from ARS Sci4Kids web site at: http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/kids/weirdscience/story7/buildamite.htm ARS is the chief scientific research agency of the
U.S. Department of Agriculture. U.S. Department of Agriculture |