ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Multifocal plane microscopy

Okay kiddo, let me try to explain what multifocal plane microscopy is in simple terms. You know how when you look at something up close, it looks bigger, but when you move further away, it looks smaller? It's kind of like that, but with pictures that are inside things like cells and tissues that are too small to see with the naked eye.

Multifocal plane microscopy uses a really powerful microscope that can see parts of cells and tissues that other microscopes can't. What's cool about it is that instead of taking one picture at a time like a regular microscope, it can take many pictures at the same time, but at different levels or "planes." It's like taking a bunch of pictures of the same thing, but each one is a little different, like a stack of pancakes all stacked together.

Then, the fancy computer in the microscope puts all those pictures together to create one big picture that shows more detail and depth than the individual pictures. Think of it like a 3D puzzle where each puzzle piece is a picture taken from a different angle or depth. When you put them all together, you get a complete picture that looks more like the real thing.

Scientists use this special microscope to study things like how cells move and how they change over time. It's helping us learn more about how our bodies work and how we can make medicines to help people who are sick. Pretty cool, huh?