Category: Nature
Things connected to observations in ecological context
Our Latex experiments
We wondered what the white latex of a Ficus plant would look like under a Foldscope. Here is the experiment in 5 short videos Video 1/5: Latex in Ficus elongatus. Video 2/5. We spread the latex onto the slide. We had two slides, one in which we really stirred the latex and the other…
Testing Foldscope on pond scum, soil, onion, fish tank scum, and Morchella elata
We are a Stanford class, led by Prof. Margaret “Minx” Fuller, that is about to embark on a trip to Ecuador to study evolution in the Amazon rainforest and Andean cloud forest. We are very excited for the opportunity to use the Foldscope throughout the trip to look at whatever organisms we can find in…
Bloody lice
This morning ….I came across a small spider in the carpet ….which was struggling to move some dust ……well just finished my final exams yesterday…….. finally I can explore again. Sorry PETA the spider threatened me ,this is self protection and for science. The slide was ready in a min. fired up my phone cam,…
Exploring Plants at Ropes Mansion (Peabody Essex Museum, Salem, MA)
On May 27, 2017 the Art & Nature Center at the Peabody Essex Museum hosted a Foldscope and Origami Flower Workshop at the Ropes Mansion, one of the historic properties owned by the Museum. This 18th century property is home to a beautiful garden in which we host special programs periodically throughout the summer, and…
Found Feather
My students caught me checking out a feather that I found over the weekend. Curiosity is contagious; I had a circle of students around me in moments.
Unknown, Familiar Plant
This plant was growing in the grass outside of our suburban elementary school.
Mud
Today the class collected anything they wanted from the area around our suburban elementary school. This is the mud that was collected, spread out in a well slide with water.
Insect – Unknown Species
Unknown Species Unknown Species Unknown Species
Pond Plant
The class asked to see what one of the pond plants looked like. The sample is from a water hyacinth.
Pond Water Motion Day 2
My class was fascinated by all of the movement in the sample. In their classroom microscopes they could see very little. While out at the pond, they had an interesting conversation about how they’d never drink the pond water, but they’d drink from a stream that looked clear. It was an important teaching moment. They…
Pond Water Day 2
This is the pond outside of the school where I work. The filter and fountain stopped running last week, so the water is less than clear. Plant and animal life live in the pond, including goldfish. We collected samples to look at again today. The students were surprised that although the pond was green, the end…
Pond Water Motion
https://microcosmos.foldscope.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/pond-water-video.mp4
Pond Water
These are images of pond water from outside of the school where I work.
First Attempt
-goldfish scale on a prepared slide-
Cells in an Onion peel
Onion Onion Onion Onion Onion Onion
Dyed Pollen Grains
Pollen Grains, artificially dyed
Drosophila Melanogaster
Drosophila Melanogaster Wing, wild type Drosophila Melanogaster head, eye, proboscis wild type Drosophila Melanogaster Wing wild type
Mouse Intestine!
Mouse Intestine Mouse Intestine Mouse Intestine Mouse Intestine Mouse Intestine Mouse Intestine Mouse Intestine Mouse Intestine
Biodiversity in an old flower vase in my yard
To celebrate biodiversity day, I am sharing a few observations that I made from a mini-zoo in my yard. This is inspired by both laks and manu who regularly create long-term cultures and follow them to observe how life evolves in a mini-ecosystem. Here’s the old vase that I let fill with rainwater a few…
Foldscope Fun At Moss Landing Beach
Hello foldscopers! I decided to explore the Moss Landing Beach because I work near there every day and have yet to explore the beach up close and personal! Moss Landing, California sits at the head of the Monterey Submarine Canyon, which is over twice the size of the Grand Canyon but underwater! I took this…
Exploring Tide Pools At Carmel Point
Hey there foldscopers! My marine science class had a lot of fun going to explore the tide pools at Carmel Point in Carmel, California! There was so much cool stuff to see! Carmel Point is a Rocky Intertidal ecosystem residing along an erosional coastline and in the center of Carmel Bay. It was raining on...
Macroalgal zonation, revisited
Hello, Shannon here with one more intertidal attempt at demystifying seaweed zonation patterns in a different environment, this time, the San Francisco Bay. Emeryville Marina Park is an elbow that juts out into the bay, and in all likelihood use to be part of the bay. Although this is an artificial rocky intertidal, and with…
Patterns, and more patterns
Hi there, this is Shannon again returning with my second Foldscope post. On a drizzly, grey day I set out to explore a gorgeous rocky beach north of Fort Bragg, CA. My walk out to the coastal bluffs revealed a magnificent expanse of rocky intertidal beaches. In the distance, a group of sea lions watched…
A plethora of life just out of sight
Hello Foldscope community, my name is Shannon and I am a graduate student in CSU Monterey Bay’s Applied Marine and Watershed Science program. As part of my Marine Ecology class, we’ve had the wonderful opportunity to use Foldscopes to explore the amazing complexity of microscopic life that is right before us and yet out of…
Inside a head lice nit/egg! An exploration during a Foldscope competition among tribal students
Mr. Sukhdev Patre , a tribal student studying in Class 12th at Radhasoami Adivasi Higher Secondary School, Rajaborari (Madhya Pradesh), Central India has participated in a Foldscope competition organized by the School. Mr. Sukhdev prepared a slide with a lice egg. More coming soon! Regards, Piyush Gupta Teacher – Biology Radhasoami Adivasi Higher Secondary School,…
Live Ant exploration in class #bio60
Today in class, I was able to view a twitching ant using the foldscope. With the foldscope, I could clearly see the ant’s eyes and watch its legs and muscles twitch. It was a bit difficult getting the ant onto the slide, so I had to crush it a bit in order to secure it…
Gliding Filament Showing Fragmentation
Hello Everyone, This time I’ve observed this filamentous form which appeared to gliding just like the cyanobacteria we observed in Manu Sir’s post a few days ago. I could see it moving back and forth but not rotating. I haven’t been able to recognize what organism this is. Please help me identify it, I’d love…
Sand and Algae near Monterey Fishermen’s Wharf
I stumbled upon a cool little beach next to Monterey’s Fishermen’s wharf. It seemed very protected, and was currently inhabited by a few harbor seal, who were laying on rocks just past the shore. It was low tide, and there were lots of exposed tide pools to the south side of the beach. I took…
Day 7: Lichen culture– part 2
Continuing from my previous post, the April22-plate 3 was really remarkable. Without much ado, here is a sampling of what I saw. Looking forward to your feedback and also can you identify the mystery objects: 1. Nematode (Nematode-24728-1-LI): A fairly large nematode. You can see the pharynx and a bit of the digestive track. There…