Yasmeen AlSaif

<p>
 Sand grains are formed by a variety of processes, such as the weathering of rocks, in what’s known as the rock cycle. Clearly, then, the composition of sand varies depending on the rock source and local conditions. But the main constituents of sand tend to stay constant regardless of their source. I was interested in seeing to what extent this consistency holds across two sand samples from vastly distinct geographic origins (Middle East vs a college dorm at Stanford). Although I’d need higher magnification to look at the actual crystal structure of the individual grains, the average size should still give a good general idea. I tried my best to crush the samples to the smallest possible grain size, then spent a little time trying to get them to adhere to the glass slides; the samples had to be completely dry to be representative of the actual consistency (as opposed to a thicker one; namely, mud), so I didn’t add a drop of water to either sample. For some reason, I could get the sand from the Middle East to adhere to the glass slide from the first go but it took me a few trials to do the same with the other sample. The samples looked pretty distinct upon collection but vaguely the same after being crushed (in terms of color and size)- so I was surprised to find that under the microscope, they looked completely different! The Middle Eastern sand has a much smaller grain size- I’m guessing the harsher weather conditions there caused the rocks to be subject to higher strain, leading to finer grains.
</p>
<figure class="wp-block-image">
 <img alt="middleeasternsand" class="wp-image-125444 gcloudimg" data-attachment-id="125444" 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="middleeasternsand" data-recalc-dims="1" src="https://storage.googleapis.com/microcosmosdelta.appspot.com/images/transfer_125442/middleeasternsand.png"/>
 <figcaption>
  Middle Eastern Sand
 </figcaption>
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<figure class="wp-block-image">
 <img alt="americansand" class="wp-image-125447 gcloudimg" data-attachment-id="125447" 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="americansand" data-recalc-dims="1" src="https://storage.googleapis.com/microcosmosdelta.appspot.com/images/transfer_125442/americansand.png"/>
 <figcaption>
  Branner Sand
 </figcaption>
</figure>


[Bio60_2019] Sand Sources: Middle East vs Branner Front Yard

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    Dead skin cells
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<p>
 I regularly exfoliate my face- and have always wondered what my dead skin cells would look like under a microscope. I scraped some fresh cells off the surface of my facial razor and prepared a sample using a cover glass and some tape- the cells adhered to the glass pretty well so adding a drop of water wasn’t necessary. I thought the images were pretty interesting- I wasn’t sure what to expect but was surprised to see a rather variable pattern of intersecting lines and random black blobs. Interestingly, the color also seemed inconsistent across the sample in some of the photos, which I also hadn’t expected because I was sure to collect the sample from a very small surface area to ensure homogeneity (naturally, some spots ought to be darker than others, but my expectation was that this would only be evident if I had collected samples from different areas of my face, or a single one from a bigger area). The edges of the sample in the pictures below were also quite dissimilar; the ones in the second photo are smooth, whereas those in the third have folds and creases. Not sure why that is, but I’m guessing uneven hydration could be a contributing factor.
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 <img alt="file3-3" class="wp-image-129988 gcloudimg" data-attachment-id="129988" 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":"6"}' data-image-title="file3-3" src="https://storage.googleapis.com/microcosmosdelta.appspot.com/images/transfer_129973/file3-3-1.jpeg"/>
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 <img alt="file6-4" class="wp-image-129979 gcloudimg" data-attachment-id="129979" 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":"6"}' data-image-title="file6-4" src="https://storage.googleapis.com/microcosmosdelta.appspot.com/images/transfer_129973/file6-4.jpeg"/>
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 <img alt="file-8" class="wp-image-129980 gcloudimg" data-attachment-id="129980" 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":"6"}' data-image-title="file-8" src="https://storage.googleapis.com/microcosmosdelta.appspot.com/images/transfer_129973/file-8.jpeg"/>
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Yasmeen AlSaif

Earth

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[Bio60_2019] Sand Sources: Middle East vs Branner Front Yard

[Bio60_2019] Skin Cells

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Foldscope Lens Magnification