Electron microscopy uses electrons instead of light to view specimens. The first transmission electron microscope was created in 1931 by Rusta and Knoll. An electron microscope works by firing electrons from an electron gun through a vacuum, using electric and magnetic fields to focus the electrons through an electron column onto a specimen. When the electrons interact with the specimen, they can be absorbed, scattered, reflected, or cause emission of other electrons or photons, allowing the microscope to image the specimen at high magnifications. Biological specimens often require fixation to preserve their structure for electron microscopy examination. Scanning electron microscopes use a focused beam of electrons to scan across and generate signals from the specimen surface.