Bacteria in decomposing matter

Feb 14, 2016 • 4:51 AM UTC

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Saad Bhamla

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I’ve always wanted to see bacteria through the foldscope. As obvious as it may be, I’d never seen bacteria in decomposing matter with my own eyes.
So, after a plant in my house died, I put it a jar and let in decompose for a week in tap water. I took a drop out, and here’s the first glance I saw.

I’m sharing this so fellow explorers don’t give up at this point. I zoomed in further using my phone screen, and started to make out tiny dots had shapes to them. Getting exciting now.

Some of the rod shaped ones could be E. Coli.
Now, comes the part where I had to convince myself that they were indeed alive. And moving. So I placed the video mode. And patiently waited. Ssh. Holding my breath.

It was super cool to see them slow wiggle around. I couldn’t believe my own eyes.
Here’s another peek into their little world. It’s a like literally peeking into a different time zone. They seem to be just hanging out.

To see the motility of these tiny creatures, I created a timelapse.

This video makes me super satisfied today. There is something to spectacular about knowing something in theory and then experiencing it with your eyes.
If you can identify the bacteria based on their shapes/motility, please share in the comments below.