Biological processes in general are often very sensitive and can be altered rapidly with variations of temperature. To this end, many researchers find a thermal microscope stage, or hot stage, to be a valuable tool for maintaining the specimen’s temperature during live-cell imaging. These temperature-controlled microscope stages can shift from hot to cold quickly and can cool or heat from temperatures ranging -190°C to more than 500°C, with the more basic models controlling between -5° C and 99C°. Hot stage microscopy (HSM) can be used with most upright and inverted microscopes on the market and can also be used in pharmaceuticals as well as in the study of physical and chemical properties.