Enlarge / First microscope by Antonie van Leeuwenhoek. (credit: Tetra Images/Getty) In the late 17th century, a Dutch draper and self-taught scientist named Antonie van Leeuwenhoek earned renown for building some of the best microscopes available, at a time when the instrument was just beginning to revolutionize scientific inquiry. He rarely divulged his lens-making methods, however, […]
