A readily portable miniature microscope weighing less than 2 grams and tiny enough to balance on your fingertip has been developed by Stanford University researchers. The scope is designed to see fluorescent markers, such as dyes, commonly used by medical and biological researchers studying the brains of mice.

The new device has no moving parts that would require realignment if the scope gets jostled and, aside from the outer lens, it is sealed against dust, making it well suited for use outside the lab. Up to now, such work typically had to be done in a laboratory, using desktop microscopes.

“You could put 10 of these in your pocket and take them out to the field to do ecological studies of soil or give them to aid workers to carry, so they could potentially do on-the-spot medical screening for diseases such as tuberculosis,” says Mark Schnitzer, associate professor of biology and of applied physics at Stanford. “This opens up possibilities for using microscopes where you just wouldn’t dream of taking them today.”

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