Microscopy is an essential tool in many fields of science and medicine. However, many groups have limited access to this techno­logy due to its cost and fragility. Now, researchers from the Univer­sities of Göttingen and Münster have succeeded in building a high-resolution micro­scope using nothing more than children's plastic building bricks and affordable parts from a mobile phone. They then went on to show that children aged 9-13 had signi­ficantly increased under­standing of micro­scopy after constructing and working with the Lego-microscope. 

The researchers designed a fully functional, high-resolution microscope with capa­bilities close to a modern research micro­scope. Apart from the optics, all parts were from the toy brick system. The team realized that the lenses in modern smart­phone cameras, which cost around 4 euros each, are of such high quality that they can make it possible to resolve even individual cells. The scientists produced instruc­tions for building the microscope as well as a step-by-step tutorial to guide people through the con­struction process whilst learning about the relevant optical charac­teristics of a microscope.

The researchers measured children's under­standing through questionnaires given to a group of 9-13 year olds. They found that children given the parts and plans to construct the micro­scope themselves signi­ficantly increased their knowledge of microscopy. For this particular study, the researchers, whose day-to-day research focusses on funda­mental bio­physical processes, benefitted from the input and enthusiasm of their 10-year-old co-author. “An under­standing of science is crucial for decision-making and brings many benefits in everyday life, such as problem-solving and crea­tivity,” says Timo Betz, University of Göttingen. “Yet we find that many people, even politicians, feel excluded or do not have the opportunities to engage in scientific or critical thinking. We wanted to find a way to nurture natural curio­sity, help people grasp funda­mental principles and see the potential of science.” 

The researchers stayed in contact with the children and monitored their progress: after they had constructed the main parts, they disco­vered that the lenses can act as magni­fying glasses. After exploring this, and realizing that a good light source was important, they initially found it tricky to align two magnifying glasses. However, once they had achieved this, the lenses generated tremendous magni­fication. This enabled the children to literally play with the micro­scope: make their own adaptations; explore how the magnification works; and discover the exciting world of the micro-cosmos for themselves. “We hope that this modular micro­scope will be used in classrooms and homes all over the world to excite and inspire children about science,” continues Betz. “We have shown that scientific research does not need to be separate from everyday life. It can be en­lightening, educational and fun!” (Source: GAU)

Reference: B. E. Vos et al.: Designing a High-Resolution, LEGO-Based Microscope for an Educational Setting, Biophys., online 22 June 2021; DOI: 10.35459/tbp.2021.000191

Link: Instructions for the LEGO microscope, Third Institute of Physics – Biophysics, Georg August University Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany