| Autorka: dr Małgorzata Kłoskowicz |
‘Scientists associated with the University of Silesia in Katowice have designed a special holder for use in a scanning electron microscope (SEM). Thanks to this patented solution, they can study the insects of interest without the risk of damaging their small, dried bodies. This is particularly important from the perspective of unique specimens, such as those that are the only know representatives of their species. Artur Taszakowski, PhD from the Faculty of Natural Sciences, a co-author of the project, discusses the invention, which protects insect antennae and legs, among other things.
They are not bigger than 3 millimeters in size. Their dried bodies are most often attached to a substrate using a special pin. You can find them, for example, in museums. Many of them are the only representatives of their species, making them unique and absolutely invaluable to entomologists. When we look at them up close, we can see very little with the naked eye, which is why much more advanced tools are used for taxonomic research and the micromorphology of their structure. One of these tools is the scanning electron microscope (SEM). Imagine an insect just a few millimeters in size, pierced with a pin.
‘Until now, we had a small aluminium disk. It is not possible to mount a pin in it, so we had to glue the insects’ explains Artur Taszakowski, PhD. ‘The problem begins when such a sample needs to be removed. This is very difficult. Often, parts of the bodies, usually legs and antennae, remain on the disk, which is significant for those involved in the classification of species and genera’ he adds.
When an entomologist studies commonly occurring species, such an outcome is not a problem. However, if they are dealing with an object borrowed from museum, for example, a specimen used to identify and describe a new taxon, then even the slightest damage is unacceptable. Scientists have therefore used various materials that could, for example, accommodate a pin, but these materials often deformed in the microscope, and there was also a risk of damaging the device. ‘We did not find an appropriate solution on the market, so my colleague and I decided to design a tool that would allow safe examination of such insects’ says the scientist.
The inspiration came from photographic equipment, specifically the design of a tripod. A special ball joint used in tripods allows the camera’s position to be changed almost without limitations.
‘I thought that if we could adapt the size of such a joint for the microscope, choose the right material, and implement additional solutions to allow for pin mounting, we could examine the insects we are interested in much faster, easier, and safer’ says the co-author of the invention.
Prototypes were made from plastic using 3D printing technology, which is a cheap and quick way to refine the shape of the holder. Even in this version, scientists tested it in the microscope to ensure that the final solution would fulfill its purpose.
‘Advanced prototypes made of metal that conducts electricity well were already used in my studies of true bugs. I examined very interesting specimens, which I described as new species and genera. Among them, holotypes were designated, which are extremely valuable specimens obtained from museums. We managed to conduct the research, and the objects returned to the collections unchanged’ admits the researcher.
As he adds, three applications for this invention have been submitted to the Patent Office, and one of them is already under patent protection.
Although the recipients are a niche group of researchers, the invention has broader applications. Scientists studying various families of insects using scanning electron microscopy can benefit from it.
‘It is certainly worth emphasising the ability to protect valuable specimens from damage during examination. It is also true that our solution makes the work easier and faster. Thanks to it, observing and photographing the insect from different angles is very easy due to the use of the ball joint. Finally, its production is cheap, so I see the potential for commercialising the holder, which could become another piece of equipment for these microscopes’ sums up the entomologist.
The authors of the patented invention are scientists associated with the University of Silesia: Artur Taszakowski, PhD, and Bartosz Baran, PhD, and the next two pending patents are: Artur Taszakowski, PhD and Ariel Marchlewicz, PhD.
The article ‘Patent that will protect valuable insects’ will be published in the July-September issue of the Gazeta Uniwersytecka UŚ (USil Magazine) 10 (320).
Holder to attach the insect in a scanning electron microscope (SEM) | Photo: Małgorzata Dymowska