Producing images of specimens magnified to about 2 million times their natural sizeâ€”compared to just 2,000 for common light microscopesâ€”electron microscopes use electron beams to resolve the minute structural details present in samples. An integral part of many laboratories, electron microscopes are used by researchers to examine biological materials, such as microorganisms, cells, and medical biopsy samples. Why are samples sometimes coated with gold before they are magnified?
Back in the day
Palestinians consider the al-Aqsa Intifada a war of national liberation against foreign occupation, whereas Israelis consider it a terrorist campaign. Begun in 2000 and never officially ended, the intifada has also been called the "Oslo War" by those who consider the violence a result of concessions made by Israel following the Oslo Accords, as well as "Arafat's War," after the late Palestinian leader whom many Israelis blame for starting it. What was the Sharm el-Sheikh Summit of 2005?
Born on a day like today
Clemenceau was a French journalist and statesman whose politics brought him into conflict with Napoleon III's government. After spending several years in the US, he returned to France and became mayor of Montmartre. In 1880, he began publishing La Justice, which became the primary organ of Parisian radicalism, and later risked his life to publish Emile Zola's "J'accuse," a passionate criticism of the Dreyfus Affair. He served as premier during WWI and was a key architect of what treaty?