C. Elegans from a sample of moss and soil

Feb 24, 2016 • 10:12 PM UTC

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Microorganisms

zeph

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I was lucky enough to catch this nematode in a wet sample prepared from some moss and soil.

The soil and moss was collected in a small tube, and water was added. The mixture was left for several minutes, then a sample of water (40 uL) was removed and placed on a slide.

The slide was prepared as described in an earlier post by Manu: https://microcosmos.foldscope.com/?p=3500
I did not find it necessary to seal the edges around the coverslip, but I did use two layers of double stick tape on two sides of the coverslip. This created enough space between the slide and the coverslip for the water sample, and allowed any life in the sample the chance to move around.

Overall this is a fairly easy process, and I would recommend trying it yourself!
One thing to remember is that if you are holding the foldscope up to your eye, the slide will be vertical. Gravity will be pulling things towards the “bottom” of the slide, so start your search there!
The video below shows the first place I found the nematode, right next to the tape holding the coverslip on.

C. Elegans from a sample of moss and soil

zeph

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