Final answer:
Brightfield microscopes use a combination of glass lenses and light to view the specimen, making it applicable to the study of biology.
Step-by-step explanation:
Brightfield microscopy is a widely used technique in optical microscopy where specimens are observed using transmitted light. This type of microscope is called a brightfield microscope because the background, or field, around the specimen appears bright, while the specimen itself appears dark against the bright background.
Brightfield microscopes use a combination of glass lenses and light to view the specimen. Light microscopes are advantageous for viewing living organisms, but since individual cells are generally transparent, their components are not distinguishable unless they are colored with special stains.