What jobs can you use a microscope for?

Forensic Scientists Forensic scientists help resolve legal matters through scientific research, analysis and experimentation. This often involves using microscopes to examine blood and other biological samples, specks of fiber and other materials found at crime scenes and even handwriting.

Microbiologists Unlike doctors and veterinarians, who use microscopes to diagnose diseases, microbiologists often use them to come up with new ways to treat and prevent diseases. Most microbiologists specialize in specific areas, such as virology (the study of viruses or immunology (the study of how the immune system fights off infections).

Doctors and Veterinarians Doctors and veterinarians use microscopes to help them diagnoses patients. They may magnify skin, hair, tissue, feces and other biological samples in order to determine if samples---and patients---are diseased or not. If so, they also use microscopes to determine the precise cause of a particular condition (such as a bacterium, virus or fungus).

Botanists Botanists work in ecology, studying how plants interact with different organisms and environments. They might also work in the field discovering new plant species or performing experiments on plants. Others work in labs, studying the structure of plant cells under microscopes. Botanists discover new medications, foods and building materials through their research and work with plants.

Gemologist A gemological microscope is the microscope used by jewelers and gem stone experts. These microscopes are complex microscopes that are equipped with multiple illumination systems to enhance the image of the samples. Gemological microscopes are usually used to inspect the authenticity of gemstones and in the design, creation, and repair of jewelry.

Forensic Anthropologist A forensic anthropologist is able to determine if a bone is human, regardless of the size of the fragment.  Large fragments can be identified by shape, and in most cases, identified to species.  Small bone fragments can be identified as human or non-human by examining the bone or the microscopic bone structure.