Foldscope on the breakfast table – Dracula orchid

Apr 30, 2017 • 10:53 AM UTC

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140x Magnification

Microorganisms

Manu Prakash

I am a faculty at Stanford and run the Prakash Lab at Department of Bioengineering at Stanford University. Foldscope community is at the heart of our Frugal Science movement - and I can not tell you how proud I am of this community and grassroots movement. Find our work here: http://prakashlab.stanford.edu

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Often the biggest surprises come from places you least expect them. Our dinning tables are often such a source. Sitting down with two TED fellows Neo and Wayne; we had a wonderful conversation until our eyes landed on this beautiful orchid on our breakfast table – a red “dracula blood red orchid”. Now it might sound scary, but this was an incredible beautiful flower. I could see some trichomes sticking out; and out of curiosity I decided to Foldscope it.
What unfolded was a really fun unpacking of sharing foldscope with strangers; including our server at the table Liz. Now Liz has her very own Foldscope for her daughters. Watch the videos..

This is the real reason I always have a foldscope with me; I don’t know when I will be surprised. If you have not already noticed; the organelle inside the cells in this video is incredibly strange. We used no stain; but still a large lump inside the cell is clearly visible. Also, we were able to identify a boundary between flat and bumpy cells and a very clear cell wall and several other organelles inside the cell.