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Imaging spotlight: visualising synaptic vesicle fusion by cryo-ET

Posted by FocalPlane, on 21 January 2026

In this paper highlight from Jana Kroll and colleagues, we hear about their research combing optogenetic stimulation with plunge freezing and cryo-electron tomography to study synaptic vesicle fusion.

Imaging spotlight: U-ExM atlas of microbial eukaryotes

Posted by FocalPlane, on 20 January 2026

In this paper highlight from Hiral Shah and colleagues, we learn about their ultrastructure expansion microscopy (U-ExM) atlas of over 200 cultured planktonic eukaryotes. This post includes technical advice for ExM users and highlights the open-access resource that they have generated for cytoskeleton or marine microorganism aficionados (and microscopy sciart lovers!)

Cytoneme Imaging Tips and Tricks

Posted by Christina Daly, on 19 January 2026

There has been a growing interest in visualizing long and thin membrane extensions. The field of intercellular connections has exploded, with elegant bioimaging studies focusing on structures like cytonemes, tunneling nanotubes (TNTs), intercellular/cytokinetic bridges (IB/CBs), and migrasomes. This enhanced interest in the intercellular communication facilitated by these extensions is largely due to the recent technological

Imaging spotlight: Revealing mouse brain ultrastructure using non-destructive X-ray tomography

Posted by FocalPlane, on 13 January 2026

In this paper highlight, Carles Bosch, Ana Diaz, Adrian A. Wanner and Andreas T. Schaefer (on behalf of all authors) describe how they use nondestructive X-ray tomography to map mouse brain tissue ultrastructure .

How do I get started with image analysis?

Posted by Rachel Lee, on 15 December 2025

Given the abundance of image analysis tools, it can be difficult to know where to get started with analyzing microscopy images. In this post, we provide a framework for getting started with image analysis that focuses on experimental design and the extraction of informative biological results.

Imaging spotlight: Volumetric Imaging via Photochemical Sectioning (VIPS)

Posted by FocalPlane, on 2 December 2025

In this paper highlight, we learn more about VIPS, a method developed by Srigokul Upadhyayula, Ruixuan Gao and colleagues.

Africa Microscopy Initiative redistributes research-grade light microscopes to four African institutions

Posted by Africa Microscopy Initiative, on 7 October 2025

Four research institutions in Senegal, Nigeria, Cameroon, and Ethiopia have been selected to each receive a microscope for advancing scientific research in Africa.

From Click to Code: Reproducibility in Bio-image Analysis

Posted by Mara Lampert, on 5 August 2025

Reproducibility is at the heart of good science. But when it comes to bio-image analysis, it can feel difficult to achieve. Complex datasets, shifting software environments, and countless manual tweaks often make it hard to retrace your own steps and share workflows with others. An aim should be to package the entire analysis, like code, data

Annotating Images in Cellpose

Posted by Lea Kabjesz, on 5 June 2025

In this blog post, I’ll show you how to manually annotate cells in 2D and 3D images using the Cellpose Graphical User Interface (GUI). Manual annotation is a key step in many bioimage analysis workflows. It allows you to create labeled data that can serve as a reference for evaluating segmentation quality – or even

The Foldscope: my portal to another world

Posted by Amy Lowell, on 24 January 2025

Hi, my name is Amy, I’m fifteen years old and I am here to tell you about my Foldscope! What is a Foldscope? A Foldscope is a portable, flat microscope that can fit into your back pocket. It is made of cardboard, cut then folded, and fitted together. The microscope is inspired by origami, hence

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Microscopy-related articles from our journals

Toggle-Untoggle – a cell segmentation tool with an interactive user verification interface J Cell Sci 2025 138: jcs264154
The ratio of Wnt signaling activity to Sox2 transcription factor levels predicts neuromesodermal fate potential Development 2025 152: dev204661
The short isoform of Tango1 is dispensable for zebrafish survival but is required for skeletal patterning and integrity Biology Open 2025 14: bio062117

Microscopy-related preprint highlights

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