Algae and Worms Observed from Foldscope

Apr 17, 2019 • 12:49 PM UTC

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sfomina

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Figure 1: Foldscope sample of a green-tinted organism and a worm-like organism in water The image pictured was obtained through a phone camera snapshot of a sample viewed through a foldscope. The sample was prepared from water taken from the Caltech turtle pond on 4/10/19. In the bottom right-hand corner of the sample, what appears to be algae or some similar green-tinted organism. This organism was no longer moving when observed, but a rough cell well can be made out from the image above. In the top right-hand corner of the sample, there appears to be a worm of some sort. I wonder what differing mechanisms the organisms observed in my sample might use to move. I might approach finding an answer to this questions by focusing closer on the edges of the algae-like organism, to see if I can observe any cilia, which might help it to move. Also, I wonder which membrane-bound organelles can be observer at this magnification in the algae-like organism. I might adjust the focus on my foldscope and increase the back-lighting to get a clearer view in hopes of answering this question. Finally, I wonder how the organisms would respond to being in a saltier environment, considering they were found in a fresh water pond. To answer this question, I would prepare a new slide in which I added sim salt along the fringes of the water, and observe to see if any sort of osmosis occurred in the cells of the organisms. #caltechbi1

Algae and Worms Observed from Foldscope

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