Category: Nature
Things connected to observations in ecological context
daphnia
Pulga de agua desde Xalapa, México.
Pollen germination
Those fascinating observations from pollen grain germination in the Brahma Kamalam drew me irresistibly towards flowers of other plants. Recently I have been watching educational videos as now I am planning to create videos for school students using Foldscope images. In the biology videos for Classes 11 & 12 I noticed that Vinca rosea (Periwinkle)…
Amazing experience with Epiphyllum oxipetalum
Epiphyllum oxypetalum is often described as ‘Queen of the night cactus’. In India it is considered a sacred plant and called ‘Brahma Kamalam’, though there is much controversy about whether or not it is the ‘true’ Brahma Kamalam. In any case there is a lot of mystique associated with this plant. It blooms sometime between…
sage leaves
The first post in a long time! I was wondering how sage leaves look like under a microscope. So many “hairs ” !! I guess it explains the soft feeling when you touch the leave. I’m also wondering what are those dark green circles? Stomata?
Unfolding Foldscope for the First Time
The current pandemic may have restricted the movement of youngsters but it cannot hold off their passion to learn. Upon discovering Foldscope online, we got a basic kit for these budding, young citizen scientists who gamely assisted in setting it up. It’s a wide stretch of learning and discovery path for them as they try…
Finally, the Tardigrade!
For more than two years now we have scoured water bodies and mosses, and soaked edible and non-edible lichen, in quest of the elusive tardigrades. With the onset of monsoons in Hyderabad, it seemed like a promising time to search for these ‘moss piglets’. That is how one Saturday afternoon, while looking for plants at…
Testing Foldscope App
This is a test post to confirm if the app is posting to the site correctly. A few things to fix: (1) allow for paragraphs to be written (2) allow for upload from already stored images (3) how to confirm camera zoom (can we allow for people to input camera/phone version). (4) allow for some…
Insight into Parasites – A ‘101’ on Viruses
(A small write-up, written by my batchmates and I. Decided to post this here. Hope you enjoy reading it :D) _____ While we’ve been locked in our houses due to the COVID-19 pandemic and are wondering when life will be back to normal, we are reminded again and again that a tiny virus has brought…
YOU’VE GOT SNAIL!!
About two years ago I came across these two posts on microcosmos : https://microcosmos.foldscope.com/?p=81 https://microcosmos.foldscope.com/?p=32147 The observations in these posts made me want to image the snails at my home. I have tried imaging snails using many ways: cavity slides, plastic tapes – failing each time. Two things would always happen in my attempts. Either…
Sea Urchin Embryonic Development
Hello Foldscope community. Over the course of 48 hours, using the amazing Foldscope, I documented the embryonic development of a sea urchin. Thanks to my Foldscope and my refrigerator, during this time of COVID-19 I can still do research from the comfort (and safety) of my home. Check out these images! I collected the sperm…
Stomata in succulent leaves
At the peak of summer, the potted plants in my balcony get an extra dose of sunlight! One of these plants is the Ceylon spinach (Talinum fruticosum). I noticed that during summer its leaves are curled up most of the time. I guessed the excess of sunlight or wet soil may be the cause. I…
First time with Foldscope
Yesterday I got my Foldscope kit delivered, nice! Assembling it took about half an hour. At first I tried it with some slides that came included with the foldscope, the mosquito head and fern rhizome, which looked great under the foldscope, with the hairs on the mosquito antenna very sharply rendered. Next, I tried it…
Chlorella (green algae) from stagnant water
Not only is this my first post on Microcosmos, it’s my first day using the AMAZING Foldscope! I collected a sample of slightly green stagnant water from beautiful Pt. Defiance Park here in the Pacific Northwest. It’s so cool to see the rolling sphere shaped Algae! I wish I could upload a video for you…
Petals and Leaves
Dead orchid petal (zoom in to see cell walls) Ice Plant flower petal (zoom in to see cell walls) Fake orchid petal Petals from yellow center part of flower Leaf
Manzanita Flower Discoveries
The discoveries are always endless when you carry your Foldscope, a little tape, a paper slide, and use sunshine to provide ambient light. After investigating the Manzanita Tree Blossom, I searched the internet to learn more about this tiny flower. I came across a web site from theSan Bruno Mountain Watch that included a post…
dragon fly wing
Gross but cool! I found a dead dragon fly cut its wings and put it in my foldscope.
Wonder-worms in a pedestal pond
One fine spring morning, my nephew called me to show something ‘interesting’ in a pedestal pond in our housing society. When I reached there, I saw a beautiful lotus blooming and some dry lotus leaves around (they looked curled up or folded). It seemed that they were being stitched together to make a home… wonder…
Water currents in the microcosmos
Watching different water samples under the Foldscope, I was fascinated by the variety of constantly active minute organisms, each with their unique ways of capturing food. Their feeding process, driven by tiny cilia, creates competing water currents on a single glass slide. Each minute animal makes its own whirlpool to suck food into its mouth…
Study of floral parts
College name- CMR National PU college, ITPL, Bangalore Sample name- Ajwain(Carom) flower, Basil flower Sample collection- Potted plant at home on 9th March 2020, collected by Kruti Pandya It has always been fascinating to obesrve floral parts under foldscope. Foldscope research was integrated for the study of microsporangia and megasporangia in Angiosperms in II PU(grade…
Foldscope exhibited as a part of National Science day celebrations
Foldscope was demonstrated by 5th class student Y. Jahnavi in a science exhibition held at Sri Chaitanya School, Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, India, as a part of National Science Day celebrations. 1500 students participated and were trained.
Cabbage leaf under Foldscope!
Cabbage (Brassica oleracea) is a leafy green, red, or white biennial plant grown as an annual vegetable crop for its dense-leaved heads. Vascular tissues help in conduction of water and food. Xylem transports water and Phloem food. Read more about vascular tissue on the mentioned link- https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vascular_tissue
भेंडी/ भिंडी/ Okra through the Foldscope
भेंडी माइक्रोस्कोप मधून कसा दिसतो? भिंडी माइक्रोस्कोप में से कैसा दिखती है? How does Okra looks through the Foldscope? Photos taken with d Foldscope.
Iridescent Scales of Common Jay Butterfly.
Biology, Nature. Where do butterflies get their striking colors? Wing of a Common Jay (Graphium doson) Papilionidae . Butterflies actually get their colors from Ordinary(pigmented) and Structural color The ordinary comes from pigments Structural color is due to Iridescence
Pollens of Sterculia foetida (Jangli badam)
Sterculia foetida (Jangli badam) is flowering in Mumbai. It has two types of flowers 👇. Red one is bisexual and yellow one is male. Photographed its pollens with d Foldscope.
Moth proboscis
Found a dead moth in corridor. Since long I wanted to see a proboscis under d Foldscope. It looks amazing!
कांदा/ प्याज़/ Onion through the Foldscope
कांदा माइक्रोस्कोप मधून कसा दिसतो? प्याज़ माइक्रोस्कोप में से कैसा दीखता है? How does onion looks through the Foldscope? Photos taken with d Foldscope.
