Photonic Imaging for Biology: From Conventional Microscopy to Super-Resolution

Light microscopy is a central tool in biological research, allowing scientists to observe living cells and organisms with details invisible to the naked eye. Since its inception in the 17th century, it has evolved through key innovations in optics, staining, electronics and informatics. Major milestones include phase contrast, differential interference contrast, immunofluorescence, genetically encoded fluorescent proteins, confocal microscopy and super-resolution microscopy. The discovery of Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP) revolutionized molecular biology, while 21st-century advances, such as super-resolution microscopy and artificial intelligence, have pushed imaging capabilities even further. Modern microscopes now integrate digital imaging, advanced optics and computational analysis for enhanced visualization and interpretation. Photonic Imaging for Biology outlines major microscopy techniques that have driven biological discoveries, starting with fundamental principles and covering a range of methods, including brightfield, fluorescence, confocal, light-sheet, single particle tracking, photoperturbation, fluorescence correlation spectroscopy and super-resolution microscopy. The book concludes with a chapter on image analysis, highlighting recent progress in artificial intelligence. Each chapter focuses on specific techniques and their applications, strengths and limitations.