A microscope’s eye view

The discovery of the universality of cells gave a unity to nature
Cape primrose (Streptocarpus rexii)
Cape primrose (Streptocarpus rexii)
MICHAEL MöLLER/RBGE

Small things can have big consequences. It’s an observation that was certainly true for the German botanist Matthias Schleiden whose seminal article Beiträge zur Phytogenesis (Contributions to Phytogenesis) was published 175 years ago. Peering down the eyepiece of a microscope at species after species of plant, Schleiden discovered something extraordinary: each and every sample was made up of cells. It was a revelation that joined together all plants, no matter how diverse. Cacti and buttercups were reconciled. Blades of grass and majestic oaks had common ground. And it was all thanks to the power of microscopy.

Technology has moved on since Schleiden’s day, with the advent of electron microscopy and development of ever more complex light microscopes. “Of course we can use increasingly sophisticated instruments,”