James Pelletier

Greetings! My name is James Pelletier, and I am super excited to be a new explorer of the microcosmos through a Foldscope! I feel inspired by the beautiful images and questions on the Microcosmos site. I am thrilled to join the Foldscope community and learn from you.


 This summer, we will introduce Foldscopes to the Microbial Life class at the
 <a href="http://childrensschoolofscience.org/">
 Children’s School of Science
 </a>
 in Woods Hole, Massachusetts. Like Tadayasu Sawaki, the protagonist of
 
 Moyasimon: Tales of Agriculture
 
 , a manga series by Masayuki Ishikawa, we will meet and communicate with diverse
 <a alt="Moyasimon:_Tales_of_Agriculture#Micro-organisms" class="gcloudimg" href="https://storage.googleapis.com/microcosmosdelta.appspot.com/images/transfer_15974/Moyasimon%3A_Tales_of_Agriculture%23Micro-organisms">
 microorganisms
 </a>
 !


 Thank you very much to Manu Prakash and the Foldscope team!


 I am a graduate student, interested in the structure and dynamics of cells. I am fascinated by reconstitution approaches: we try to take cells apart and then put the parts back together, to learn about the functional organization of cells. In particular, I am studying mechanisms of cell division in large, eukaryotic frog eggs from
 
 Xenopus laevis
 
 (see my profile picture, thanks to Holger Krisp from Ulm, Germany for the awesome photograph on Wikimedia Commons) and in small, prokaryotic mycoplasma bacteria.


 Yesterday I did an experiment and took my first image using a Foldscope! From frog eggs we prepared cytoplasmic extract, which is a complex fluid that mimics the inside of a cell. Then, we used a microfluidic device, like a miniature aquarium with channels about as wide as human hair, to prepare droplets of cytoplasmic extract surrounded by oil, kind of like a salad dressing. The image shows an uncontrolled region of the device at the end of the experiment, where smaller droplets can fuse together to make larger droplets, resulting in the different sizes. The device did not fit into the Foldscope, so I temporarily taped the lens to the device and then held my phone over the lens. I was surprised how much bigger was the field of view using my phone rather than my eye, it was like stepping through the looking-glass. The droplets are tens of microns in diameter. I am quite curious to calibrate my Foldscope so I can measure sizes.


 <img alt="Microfluidic droplets" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-15977 gcloudimg" data-attachment-id="15977" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta='{"aperture":"1.9","credit":"","camera":"SM-G920P","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1463082611","copyright":"","focal_length":"4.3","iso":"200","shutter_speed":"0.016666666666667","title":"","orientation":"1"}' data-image-title="Microfluidic droplets" data-recalc-dims="1" height="300" src="https://storage.googleapis.com/microcosmosdelta.appspot.com/images/transfer_15974/droplets.jpg" width="296"/>


 Thanks again to the Foldscope team!

Greetings!

Greetings all!


 Long time since my first post, and I have a backlog of Foldscope images and experiences to upload! This week, we introduced Foldscopes at the
 <a href="http://childrensschoolofscience.org/">
 Children’s School of Science
 </a>
 in Woods Hole, MA, in the Microbial Life class taught by Tara Bennett. The folding session went well, and then we brought Foldscopes into the field and saw some ciliates and diatoms! Images on the way, but for now, I am rapt by rotifers.


 As we practiced with our Foldscopes before the start of class, Chris Field, Duncan Mitchison-Field, and I had a look at a sample collected from a stagnant puddle. We used a transfer pipette to billow up some sediment, so our sample contained some particulates. We searched a bit for motion, and this lovely creature greeted us!


 <img alt="rotifer" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-17703 gcloudimg" data-attachment-id="17703" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta='{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"1"}' data-image-title="rotifer" data-recalc-dims="1" height="298" src="https://storage.googleapis.com/microcosmosdelta.appspot.com/images/transfer_17701/rotifer.jpg" width="300"/>


 We all shouted in excitement. Its motions were fascinating. It could extrude both its head and its tail, elongate its entire body, and turn around. We think it might have been eating, but we are not sure. Somehow it reminded me of a sea lion!

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 <iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="563" mozallowfullscreen="" src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/177321279" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="1000">
 </iframe>
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 After some search, we identified the creature as a rotifer. I had heard the name before, but never saw one and knew nothing about them. I started to read about them, and they are quite incredible! The
 <a alt="indexmag.html" class="gcloudimg" href="https://storage.googleapis.com/microcosmosdelta.appspot.com/images/transfer_17701/indexmag.html">
 Wonderfully Weird World of Rotifers
 </a>
 mentions over 2000 known species. One even has “the appearance of a heavily armored Klingon warship.” Like Pokémon Go, I want to find more!


 On the technical side, I look forward to practicing focus locking as described by Manu and others.


 Talk to you soon!


 James, Chris, and Duncan

Rotifer!

<img alt="tardigrade" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-18623 gcloudimg" data-attachment-id="18623" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta='{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"1"}' data-image-title="tardigrade" data-recalc-dims="1" height="277" src="https://storage.googleapis.com/microcosmosdelta.appspot.com/images/transfer_18622/tardigrade.jpg" width="198"/>


 My collaborator/3yo cousin Marina and I wandered together into the microcosmos – it was so much fun. We happened to be near a lake, and there was quite a lot of moss, so we figured might be a great time to look for tardigrades!


 
 Sample preparation
 
 . We pulled a small piece of moss from a rock in the shade. Some dirt came along for the ride. We put the moss in a cup, then we added an equal volume of lake water to hydrate the moss. We let the moss soak for about 10 minutes. To prepare slides, we cut smaller pieces of wet moss and sandwiched them between transparent Foldscope stickers.


 
 Hello tardigrade!
 
 We were sitting at a picnic table and our uncle was nearby hitting golf balls into the lake (then he snorkels to retrieve them). In our first couple of attempts, we did not find tardigrades, though the moss itself was interesting. Then, we found a tardigrade! I could not contain myself and shouted, “WATER BEAR!” Not the best golf etiquette – but it was so exciting, and my uncle still managed a lovely shot. I will have to proceed with caution if I ever bring Foldscope to a golf course. I bet there is tons of awesome microbial life in the ponds.

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 <iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="563" mozallowfullscreen="" src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/181391838" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="1000">
 </iframe>
 </div>
</div>

 
 Observations and questions
 
 . Marina and I could see its segmented body and cute little legs. We used the magnetic coupler, so we could look together on my phone. We were both captivated. Marina asked some fantastic questions such as, “Is it fast or slow?” which I think is a wonderful question and leads to so many interesting follow up questions. (I later learned that tardigrade means “slow stepper.” But as the movie shows, the tardigrade could move about a body length per second.)


 
 <a alt="Cryptobiosis" class="gcloudimg" href="https://storage.googleapis.com/microcosmosdelta.appspot.com/images/transfer_18622/Cryptobiosis">
 Cryptobiosis
 </a>
 
 . Tardigrades are fascinating creatures. For one, they are capable of cryptobiosis, which means they are ultimate survivors. Even Bear Grylls might have a thing or two to learn from tardigrades. For example, as noted by Sarah Bordenstein
 <a alt="index.html" class="gcloudimg" href="https://storage.googleapis.com/microcosmosdelta.appspot.com/images/transfer_18622/index.html">
 here
 </a>
 , tardigrades have been reported to survive temperatures as low as -200 ˚C and as high as 151 ˚C, or severe desiccation, or numerous other awful conditions I would never hope to experience. Can you imagine?! I am so curious how their molecules and cells allow the organism to withstand such extremes.


 As noted in the
 <a alt="Cryptobiosis" class="gcloudimg" href="https://storage.googleapis.com/microcosmosdelta.appspot.com/images/transfer_18622/Cryptobiosis">
 cryptobiosis Wikipedia site
 </a>
 , other creatures are capable of cryptobiosis, so such incredible behavior may not be uncommon. For example, bdelloid rotifers (I still
 <a href="https://microcosmos.foldscope.com/?p=17701">
 gotta catch more of ’em
 </a>
 ) can also survive severe desiccation. Makes me wonder about life in difficult places, such as on nearby planets. From what I read so far on the NASA Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN) mission site, Mars lost its atmosphere about 4 billion years ago. Check out this wicked
 <a href="http://lasp.colorado.edu/home/maven/education-outreach/for-educators/mea/martian-makeover-interactive/">
 lesson
 </a>
 !


 The
 <a alt="Tardigrade" class="gcloudimg" href="https://storage.googleapis.com/microcosmosdelta.appspot.com/images/transfer_18622/Tardigrade">
 tardigrades Wikipedia site
 </a>
 and other articles on tardigrades note some have survived for years in a cryptobiotic state! Though they may be increasingly less likely to survive the longer they remain in a cryptobiotic state, and 4 billion years is relatively a long time. Many tough questions, many more experiments needed.


 
 Foldscope operation
 
 . Marina was interested in the operation of the Foldscope, such as turning the LED on and off. We disassembled the Foldscope to have a look inside, so we removed the back magnetic coupler for focus locking. Plus our sample was rather thick, so this was our best movie with the tardigrade in focus. In our next attempt, we might try focus locking with a thinner sample.


 Others in the Foldscope community have posted gorgeous images of tardigrades, such as these incredible posts by the
 <a href="https://microcosmos.foldscope.com/?p=17901">
 Stanford Tardigrade Project
 </a>
 ,
 <a href="https://microcosmos.foldscope.com/?p=10650">
 Cristina Bosch
 </a>
 , and
 <a href="https://microcosmos.foldscope.com/?p=9616">
 Tom Hata
 </a>
 .


 
 Looking forward to next time
 
 . Several hours later, in the evening, Marina asked to see again the images we took on my phone. I think the Foldscope gave another young scientist an exciting view of the microcosmos. I feel so happy, and I cannot wait until our next collaboration!


 <img alt="Foldscope with Marina" class="alignnone wp-image-18624 size-large gcloudimg" data-attachment-id="18624" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta='{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}' data-image-title="Foldscope with Marina" data-recalc-dims="1" height="750" src="https://storage.googleapis.com/microcosmosdelta.appspot.com/images/transfer_18622/Foldscope-with-Marina.jpg" width="1000"/>


 
 Up next
 
 . We also observed pond scum. In our excitement we forgot to take a picture. So in my next post, I would like to attempt a description and sketch à la Antony van Leeuwenhoek. I recently started to look at some of his writings, would be fun to attempt his style.

James Pelletier

Earth

Posts

Greetings!

Rotifer!

Tardigrades with Marina!

Locations

Statistics

Type of Sample

Foldscope Lens Magnification