Expedition Into The Nanoworld – Alberto Diaspro

5.1), let’s see how. Fig. 5.1 Fluorescence image of neurons in a thickness of about 2 mm with submicrometric resolution. Credits Takahiro Deguchi, Ryu Nakamu-ra, Paolo Bianchini—Diaspro Lab and Nikon, Japan Let’s make it clear that when in microscopy we use the term sample we often refer to a cell or a set of cells that has a “thickness” of at least 50 μm.

The single cell, the one typically deposited on the microscope slide, has a thickness of a few μm. If you try to imagine filling this space with point sources of a few nanometers, or even a few tens of nanometers, you immediately realize that you are in the middle of the party given by Holly Golightly—Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961)-in the apartment at 169 East 71st Street in New York City (Fig.

5.2). A thick sample, rich in fluorescent molecules is like a lot of light given by the emission of many point sources that become almost indistinguishable both in the observation plane and in the whole occupied three-dimensional space (Fig. 5.3). Fig. 5.2 The talented and beautiful British actress Audrey Hepburn (1929–1993) in Breakfast at Tiffany’s (Blake Edwards, 1961) moving through a crowded environment Fig. 5.3 Fluorescence images made fuzzy by molecular crowding in three-dimensional space Let us consider the situation in which we illuminate our three- dimensional sample by sending light through a lens in a certain plane of focus.2 The light enters the lens and forms, in space, a sort of hourglass with its apex at the point of the geometric focus of the lens.

Now, if the wavelength used has an appropriate energy to excite the fluorescent molecules contained in the volume occupied by the sample, all those intercepted by the light beam, in any point of space in focus or out of focus, will emit light. Let us imagine that we can “slice” with light a certain number k of different planes in our three-dimensional object and let us consider a situation in which we position the geometric focus of our lens, of the microscope objective, in a plane that we call j (Fig.

5.4).3 Fig.

Translation from the Italian language edition: “Quello che gli occhi non vedono” by Alberto Diaspro, © Casa Editrice Libraria Ulrico Hoepli S.p.A. 2020. Published by HOEPLI. All Rights Reserved. © Casa Editrice Ulrico Hoepli S.p.A. 2022 This work is subject to copyright. All rights are solely and exclusively licensed by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed.

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Neither the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, expressed or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made. The publisher remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. This Springer imprint is published by the registered company Springer Nature Switzerland AG The registered company address is: Gewerbestrasse 11, 6330 Cham, Switzerland Dedicated to Teresa.

Foreword “Alberto Diaspro takes the reader on a kaleidoscopic journey of microscopy as colourful and full of beauty as science and life itself.” Stefan W. Hell 2014 Nobel Laureate “for the development of microscopy in super-resolved fluorescence.” “It is an interesting period for quality scientific divulgation in our country and we can consider ourselves lucky, given the thick curtain of misinformation that generally obscures the citizens of the planet and of Italy in particular.

That’s why I like to greet this popular text that has, however, much more (and, if I may, better) than other texts. In the sense that, often, scientists describe their experiences in an aseptic way and focus, as it is right, on the general goal of their effort: to explain a concept or, even, the cosmos, no matter if macro or micro. In this case, Diaspro continually and very pleasantly mixes personal, cultural and scientific topics and themes in an admirable way, even having fun on the border of humanism and science.

Contributing, in my opinion, to the reunification of what are just two sides of the same general culture, that of sapiens.

This is a short excerpt from the opening of “” by Unknown, quoted for review and introduction purposes. All rights belong to the copyright holders.

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