Tools of the Trade: Using Scientific Equipment

Tools of the Trade: Using Scientific Equipment — page 1
Tools of Discovery In 1676 Antonie van Leeuwenhoek peered at a drop of water through a magnifying lens he made himself Using this scientific tool the self-taught scientist made an amazing discovery tiny creatures he called animalcules They were protozoa single-celled creatures No one had seen them before Originally a cloth merchant van Leeuwenhoek probably used magnifying glasses to examine cloth as part of his business The tool helped merchants look at threads up close and determine the cloth’s quality Eventually van Leeuwenhoek became obsessed with making ever more powerful magnification devices His lenses were capable of magnifying objects over 200 times making them far more powerful than microscopes used at the time 4 van Leeuwenhoek 1632 1723