James Sharp, one of the industry’s leading authorities in microscopy and former President and CEO of Carl Zeiss Microscopy, has accepted a role as a Distinguished Senior Advisor to the IGB Core Facilities.

Over the past century, our understanding of cells—the basic building blocks of living organisms—has progressed largely due to microscopes. The invention of fluorescence microscopy has been a primary tool in this scientific endeavor because it allows researchers to color-label specific cellular components and observe them in live cells. The new two-color 3-D Minflux microscope is a vast improvement on traditional fluorescence microscopy because, for the first time, researchers can track how two molecules can interact with each other on the size scale of the molecules themselves.

A geologist, a microscopist and a doctor walk into a lab and, with their colleagues from across the nation, make a discovery that overturns centuries of thought about the nature and composition of kidney stones. The team’s key insight, reported in the journal Scientific Reports, is that kidney stones are built up in calcium-rich layers that resemble other mineralizations in nature, such as those forming coral reefs or arising in hot springs, Roman aqueducts or subsurface oil fields.

“The Art of Science: Images from the Institute for Genomic Biology" opening reception was held on Thursday, March 31 from 6:00- 8:30 p.m. at downtown Champaign’s indi go Gallery. The show featured beautiful images created with some of the IGB’s microscopy and imaging equipment.