Why do electron microscopes allow us to see more detail than conventional light microscopes?
By resolution, we mean the power to magnify…while light wavelength resolves in micrometers (according to the wavelength) electron beams when travelling in vacuum have a far narrower wavelength measurable in nanometers (about a hundred thousand times less than the shortest light wavelength) (But please check relative wave lengths). This helps to magnify details down to the size of endoplasmic reticulum, especially ribosomes, unravelled DNA, golgi bodies and details within mitochondria, chloroplasts and even minute crystalline proteins, inclusions within cells, etc. In non-Biological studes I think they have seen views of atoms of gold or some other molecules also….something not possible with light microscopes. But one draw back with electron microscope, since the preparation has to be in vacuum, you have to ‘fix’ the sections using suitable contrast (usually gold, osmium tetroxide) and we always see non-living cells frozen in time and space.
