James A. Sharp, Carl Zeiss Jena GmbH
Over the last 150 years of microscope development, an impressive array of innovations has come to light. Today’s seemingly commonplace imaging techniques include phase contrast, which won a Nobel prize for the Zeiss developer Frits Zernicke when introduced. Now, as progress continues for contrasting techniques such as brightfield, epifluoroscence and differential interference, some might speculate that the end is in sight for true optical innovations in light microscopy. But, with science leading the way into the 21st century, the demands on optomechanical systems have never been greater.