The images show an algae structure, observed in a water sample from Caltech’s on-campus turtle pond, under direct and scattered light (generated using Foldscope light equipment). The sample was obtained around 6:30 pm local time (Pasadena, CA) on April 11th, 2019 from the Caltech turtle pond using a cylindrical container.

Green algae is a member of the domain Eukarya, as it is a member of the Plantae (note the characteristic green color caused by the pigment chlorophyll, responsible for photosynthesis). The foldscope magnification is 140X. As the lens itself has an approximate aperture of 2.5 mm, giving the algae size in the scattered light exposure image to be about 0.5 mm / 140, or 3 microns. A significant difference that can be observed between the two images is that the direct light exposure was able to permeate through regions of very dense algae structure, giving us a better insight into the macro-structure of the organism.

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