Tag

Microscopy

All articles tagged with #microscopy

science-and-technology7 days ago•13 min saved

Nikon Re-Evaluates Microscopy Prize After AI Watermark and Biological Errors Surface

Nikon is re-reviewing the 2026 Small World in Motion winner after scientists identified AI-generated artifacts and biological impossibilities in Dr. Ning Xu’s video of cilia. While Xu claims AI was only used for post-processing colorization, critics point to a SynthID watermark and structures that do not exist in human biology. Nikon has not yet confirmed if rules were violated, but the incident highlights the growing tension between artistic visualization and scientific integrity in microscopy.

via Gizmodo|

#ai-in-science #microscopy #nikon-small-world

science9 days ago•2 min saved

Nikon Suspends Microscopy Prize Amid AI Controversy

Nikon is re-evaluating the 2026 Small World in Motion winner after scientists accused Dr. Ning Xu of using AI to generate impossible biological structures in his winning video. While Xu claims AI was only used for post-processing colorization, critics point to a SynthID watermark and physical anomalies in the footage. Nikon has requested technical documentation from Xu, who has since deleted his LinkedIn profile.

via PetaPixel|

#ai-ethics #microscopy #nikon-small-world

science9 days ago•214 min saved

Nikon re-evaluates microscopy prize after AI allegations

Nikon is re-reviewing the winning entry of its 16th annual Small World In Motion competition after scientists alleged the footage was manipulated using artificial intelligence. The winning video, submitted by Dr. Ning Xu, depicts cilia movement in a child with a rare genetic disorder. While Nikon initially awarded the prize in September, critics have since raised concerns about biological anomalies and the presence of AI watermarks. Nikon states it is examining technical documentation provided by Xu, who claims AI was used only for post-processing colorization, not for generating the biological structures or their motion. The controversy highlights tensions between scientific accuracy and artistic visualization in microscopy contests.

via CNN|

#artificial-intelligence #microscopy #nikon-small-world

science-and-technology9 days ago•3 min saved

Nikon investigates AI use in winning microscopy video after scientists flag biological errors

Nikon is re-reviewing the winning entry of its 15th annual Small World in Motion competition after scientists alleged that Dr. Ning Xu’s video of cilia was manipulated using artificial intelligence. Critics argue the footage contains biologically impossible structures and AI watermarks, while Xu claims he only used AI for post-processing colorization, not generation.

via Nature|

#ai-ethics #controversy #microscopy

technology10 days ago•2 min saved

Nikon Microscopy Contest Winner Faces AI Allegations

The winner of Nikon's 15th annual Small World In Motion contest is under investigation after scientists alleged the winning video was manipulated using artificial intelligence. Dr. Ning Xu of Tsinghua University submitted a clip of cilia in a child's airways, which Nikon initially accepted. Critics argue the footage contains impossible movements and AI watermarks. While Xu claims he only used AI for visualization, not generation, Nikon is reviewing the entry to ensure fair competition.

via BBC|

#ai-ethics #microscopy #nikon-small-world

science22 days ago•0 min saved

Cilia under the lens: 100x win for Nikon's Small World In Motion

Nikon's Small World In Motion invites global entries to showcase micro-life on film. The winner, Dr Ning Xu of Tsinghua University, magnified a sample 100× to reveal cilia in the airways of a child with a rare genetic disease, using colored light waves; runners-up included a roundworm vs. a single-celled organism and jellyfish larvae in droplets, with other notable clips like bioluminescent algae and a tiny sea slug.

via BBC|

#biology #cilia #competition

science23 days ago•15 min saved

Wiggling Worlds: Microscopic Motion Unveils the Invisible Life

The Nikon Small World in Motion winners reveal the beauty of invisible life by capturing high-precision microvideos that show the dynamic, unseen world beneath our eyes; the contest began as a photography competition in 1975 and added moving images in 2011, celebrating the artistry of scientific imaging.

via The New York Times|

#microscopy #nikon-small-world-in-motion #science

science1 month ago•3 min saved

Tiny Hairs, Mighty Grip: Gecko Feet Under the Microscope

ScienceAlert's Microscope Mystery reveals that the “forest” image is the underside of a gecko's foot: each toe is covered in hundreds of thousands of hairlike setae that branch into spatulae, enabling strong adhesion through van der Waals forces without glue; the combined grip could theoretically support about 133 kilograms, and geckos detach by peeling their toes at a precise angle—SEM imagery (colored afterward) shows this microscopic adhesive network that researchers are trying to mimic in synthetic adhesives.

via ScienceAlert|

#biology #gecko #microscopy

science4 months ago•4 min saved

Stanford unveils 120-nm, label-free microscope for real-time live-cell imaging

Stanford researchers developed Interferometric Image Scanning Microscopy (iISM), a label-free instrument that reaches ~120-nanometer resolution inside living cells by merging interferometric scattering with array-based detection, enabling real-time observation of cellular structures with less light and no fluorescent labels. It complements fluorescence microscopy and opens new avenues for studying pathogen interactions, drug entry, and malaria-related cell changes, with plans to broaden access and collaborations.

via SciTechDaily|

#cell-biology #interferometric-scattering #label-free-imaging

science5 months ago•6 min saved

Magnified Sand Unveils a Global Gallery of Grains

A photographer’s ongoing project magnifies individual sand grains from beaches worldwide, revealing a surprising range of shapes and colors—fragments of volcanic rock, coral, shells, and microfossils—turning beach debris into a tiny, global museum of Earth’s geology and marine life.

via Boing Boing|

#geology #marine-life #microscopy

technology5 months ago•6 min saved

PCA-iSIM: A Compact, Fast Route to Real-Time Super-Resolution Microscopy

Researchers from the Smart Computational Imaging Laboratory (SCILab) at Nanjing University of Science and Technology unveil PCA-iSIM, a compact DMD-based incoherent structured-illumination microscopy framework that couples high-modulation coefficient mapping with principal component analysis to recover high-frequency details from low-contrast patterns, enabling real-time imaging at up to 30 frames per second with about 100 nm resolution and a ~70% simpler optical design than laser-based SIM; demonstrated in living cells imaging mitochondrial activity under challenging noise and setting changes.

via SciTechDaily|

#computational-imaging #microscopy #pca-isim

science6 months ago•5 min saved

Magnetic-Pulse Microscopy Unmasks Hidden Molecular States

Researchers at the University of Tokyo developed pump-field-probe fluorescence microscopy that combines synchronized pulsed light with nanosecond magnetic pulses to detect spin-dependent, non-emissive intermediates invisible to standard fluorescence. Validated on flavin-based model systems, the method measures lifetimes and magnetic responses at biologically relevant, low concentrations and can operate with minimal sample damage, enabling time-resolved studies of short-lived dark states and offering potential for live-cell applications. This approach bridges fluorescence microscopy with spin chemistry, contributing to quantum biology and noninvasive diagnostics, with future plans to tackle more complex biological environments and separate overlapping reaction pathways.

via SciTechDaily|

#live-cell-imaging #microscopy #nonemissive-intermediates

science8 months ago•6 min saved

Expansion Microscopy Turns Tiny Cells Into Big Clues

Expansion microscopy uses a diaper-inspired hydrogel to physically swell biological samples, enabling higher-resolution visualization of tiny cellular structures with standard microscopes. By improving dye penetration and preserving overall architecture, it democratizes microscopy and reveals detailed cytoskeletal diversity across species.

via Quanta Magazine|

#cell-biology #cytoskeleton #expansion-microscopy

science8 months ago•5 min saved

Terahertz microscope unmasks quantum vibrations of superconducting electrons

MIT researchers developed a terahertz microscope that uses spintronic emitters and a Bragg mirror to compress terahertz light to micron-scale spots, enabling imaging of the collective terahertz oscillations of superconducting electrons in BSCCO at cryogenic temperatures and overcoming the diffraction limit—a breakthrough for studying quantum modes in materials with potential implications for room-temperature superconductivity and terahertz devices.

via MIT News|

#bscco #microscopy #science

innovation8 months ago•11 min saved

Under-$1 3D-printed optics enable nanoscale super-resolution imaging

Researchers show that consumer-grade 3D printers, silicone molding, and UV-curable resin can create low-cost, multi-element lenslets for a multifocal structured illumination microscope, achieving about 150 nanometers resolution comparable to commercial systems and potentially democratizing access to high-performance imaging.

via Interesting Engineering|

#3d-printing #innovation #microscopy