This Zeiss Apochromat was the first microscope objective ever produced that was capable of resolving the minute pores in the shell of this diatom. This feat had never before been accomplished by any microscope objective and the original photographic plate recording this historic moment still resides in the Van Heurck Museum in Antwerp. The Zeiss Apochromat was placed on the market in 1886 and the Apo remains the premier objective for visible light microscopy. I was at the SPIE Annual meeting in Denver in 1996 when David McKay announced to the world the discovery of possible microfossils in the Mars meteorite. I think that was the first conference ever held that was totally related to the newly emerging field of astrobiology.
Astrobiology is tremendously exciting.
Microbial Extremophiles have tremendous potential for advanced optical sensors, components and systems. This protein can function as a photon-driven ion pump with tremendous potential for optical memory systems. Bacteriorhodopsi can be considered an ultrafast optical bistable switch. This molecule is capable of switching in 500 femtoseconds but the actual memory speed is limited by how fast a laser beam can be steered to the correct spot on the memory. Microbes also build minute motors that operate the cilia, flagella, and other mechanisms of cellular locomotion.