The Microscope: Science's Greatest Invention?

The microscope has been one of the greatest inventions in the history of science and has had the most impact on the course of science. Ever since the first microscope was invented in 1590, they have improved our knowledge in basic biology and biomedical research, as well as many other things, all of which are important. The smallest object a human can see with the naked eye is 0.2 mm, for example, algae cells. The light microscope, …

…things, including corks. He was amazed to see that there were "holes" in the cork and decided to call them cells since they reminded him of the cells in monasteries monks lived in. Another major discovery that required the microscope was the discovery of single-celled organisms like protists and bacteria. These two discoveries sparked the accumulation of the monumental amount of knowledge of science we have today in biology, and even quantum physics and chemistry.