MIT engineers create first underwater microscope - video

Engineers from the prestigious American polytechnic Massachusetts Institute of Technology have constructed an underwater microscope. The device will allow observation of corals in their natural environment in an unprecedented dimension. Scientists hope that the information obtained will allow to better understand and solve the problems of coral reefs, resulting from climate change on Earth.

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The Benthic Underwater Microscope, developed by Andrew Mullen and his colleagues at Scripps Institution of Oceanography in California, will allow us to look at the lives of even the smallest marine organisms, measuring just a few microns. The device’s range will allow research to be conducted down to a depth of 100 metres.

The microscope was presented in the journal Nature Communications, where its capabilities, application and mode of operation were explained. Thanks to a special flexible lens resembling the human eye, the device can instantly shift focus between objects at different distances. Another important feature is that the microscope allows observation and photography of organisms in motion.

Life in the seas and oceans depends on coral reefs. Although this may seem strange, since the reefs we know cover barely 2% of the surface of the sea bed. Nevertheless, up to 25% of all organisms exist thanks to them. In view of the climate crisis affecting reefs in recent years, rising temperatures and their fading, it is essential to take action to halt this process.

Scientists hope that the underwater microscope will become an important tool in the fight for coral reefs to stop them dying. So far, it has been tested while observing corals and algae in Hawaii, providing a wealth of interesting information.

Source: technologyreview.com