Wednesday 19 October 2011

Microscopy mounting media II

Today I found a brilliantly written, hugely informative, and well-illustrated guide to Safe Microscope Techniques for Amateurs, written by Walter Dioni. It is a series of four articles, originally published in Micscape, the magazine of the Microscopy UK organisation.

"Safe Microscope Techniques for Amateurs" discusses liquid media, solid media, mixed media and glycerin jellies. All techniques are explained clearly and several suggestions for equipment or readily available appropriate subsitutes are given. In summary, the series is an excellent introduction to microscope mounting techniques and gives some very useful tips for making good microscope mounts.

Sunday 2 October 2011

Old codes

The International Code of Zoological Nomenclature is the document that details the rules of how the scientific names of animals are managed. It's a complex document with a rich history, and it is necessary to consult previous editions for correct knowledge as to the reasoning behind some of the provisions of the code. Old editions tend to be fairly hard to come by, but thankfully the Biodiversity Heritage Library has them digitised and on the interweb for all to enjoy. Thus, it holds copies of the first (1961), second (1964), third (1985), and fourth (current, 1999) editions are all available. The current edition is also available from the official website as an indexed html version.