Illuminating the anatomy - replacement of a multiline Argon 488 laser in a 4-laser Olympus FV1000 confocal laser scanning microscope

The confocal laser scanning microscope, CLSM, has proven to be an essential tool for studying structure and function of aquatic organisms, especially within the disciplines of evolutionary and developmental biology. With the granted replacement of a 488 Argon laser in this essential CLSM facility of my laboratory we will be able to study the organ system and body architecture of old microscopic animal lineages, while integrating a range of disciplines encompassing: i, high-resolution structural and developmental immunohistochemistry studies: ii, cell proliferation studies: iii, fluorescent in situ hybridization experiments patterning key gene expressions during development. Hereby we will address essential questions on our evolution such as - where do we come from and how did we get here?