Foldscope live demo of living organism

Applause IconApr 14, 2016 • 12:44 AM UTC
Location IconUnknown Location
Applause Icon140x Magnification
Applause IconMicroorganisms

Learn about the author...

32posts
11comments
2locations
I had the opportunity last week to present in front of few dozen industrial scientists visiting stanford. The catch was I only had less than 10 minutes!
If I had to share one way that the foldscope really has changed the way I think about life :
I’d choose the fact that it provides a window into the physiology of tiny living organisms; their beautiful motions, dances and flows-a visceral reminder of the hallmark of life – that it is animate!
So, naturally I wanted to share this subtle, but personally important point. There were small challenges- preparing wet mounts, keeping organism alive and making sure the live projection from my iPhone to the big screen worked.
I took the risk (I had a couple backup slides) and everything turned out well. I’m sharing the video and a few images below in the hope of encouraging others to also share live demos; its tricky, requires preparation, but totally worth it!
Dive in!
Note: the larvae is of Culex tarsalis. I may have bungled up the name in the heat of the moment.
And here is one more picture from the event.

Sign in to commentNobody has commented yet... Share your thoughts with the author and start the discussion!

More Posts from Saad Bhamla