When I first took a look at the peel under the microscope, what fascinated me the most was that the purple pigment of the sweet potato was actually not covering each cell but rather, surrounded them.
sweet potato peel 40X
As seen in these pictures, sweet potatoes are generally known to be composed of fibers and different types of vitamins. Here the peel has numerous fibers covering the purple pigment which surround each cell.This shows that while we tend to discard the outer layer before consuming the golden body, there are significant reasons to why you should also add the peels to your meal.
I tend to automatically state a rotting apple is bad for us. But what is causing apples to rot and why is it harmful for us to consume them?
rotten apple 40X
While I didn't think at first that penicillium had anything to do with a rotting apple, it turns out that Penicillium expansum and Monilinia fructigena are the most common fungi that cause damage to fruits. Around 70% of all plant diseases are caused by fungi (those such as major crop diseases).
rotten apple 400X
What you see in this picture is what seems to be penicillium expansum also called blue mold. While they aren't exactly blue in color as the fungi is supposed to be, they contain the same structure of a tree like shape.
One of the main functions a flower petal has is to attract insects to the flower in order for pollination to occur. While the microscope caused this petal to lose its red color in the picture, generally, the colors petals have are actually from a variety of pigments like carotenoids.
red flower petal 40X
Carotenoids are generally stored in chromoplasts (organelles seen inside of the cells). Following, anthocyanins are water soluble pigments that are one of the key pigments that emit the flower's color as seen in these pictures.
red flower petal 100X
For flowers that rely on insects to spread pollen to other flowers, bright petal colors are absolutely necessary because it is one of the main ways insects are attracted to that plant.
Believe it or not, dandelions don't grow on stems but rather, they grow on the crown of the plant at ground level. The flowers also grow on empty stalks that are able to react up to 70cm.
dandelion petal 2days after 40X
from petal to seeds 40X
Unlike plants that send spores or gametes to fertilize or create a seed, dandelions actually use petals with a seed attached to send them away farther distances. They don't rely on insects such as bees though the bees may be reliant on the other hand. Dandelions may use the process apomixis which is when seeds develop without germination.
To start off, if some of you think you have a skin without hair, guess again.
By looking under a portable microscope, you will likely notice bits of hair shooting out like in these pictures.
As you see in these pictures, the keratin layer is a significant part to our body, having not only dead skin cells laid at the epidermis, but also presenting an optical view of ourselves. Here in the picture, skin is with wrinkles though not quite visible with just the naked eye,
Believe it or not, but even people in youth have wrinkles like these! The wrinkles only intensify as you age because less collagen are produced and elastic fibers become less elastic leading to sagging and wrinkling. Following, the dullness shown on skins as one ages is because less moisture is transported to the epidermis as well.
When I first saw this, I didn't believe it was supposed to be how a semi-cylindrical piece of wood looked like up close.
cork 100X
Corks are generally made of an impenetrable buoyant material. The dark gray bark that covers a corn oak is used to create the cork. While peeling off the tree bark may seem harmful, corn oaks are unique because of their ability to regenerate their outer layer.
cork 400X
I personally didn't expect the cork to look as rough because it seemed quite smooth when viewed through the naked eye. But since it was made from the bark of an oak tree, I could also understand why the cork was quite bumpy.
Some time ago, I posted pictures of a single tear drop and an artificial one as well in order to compare their components and structures. One interesting fact is the components in a tear drop differs depending on the situation one is in. For example, if one is emotional, tear drops may have different components as compared to when a tear is dropped from staring at an onion (as seen above).
A post I did sometime back regarding the BO blood type was actually from this blood. However, what I didn't mention there was what the pathogen fighters in the blood streams were: white blood cells (Leukocytes or Leucocytes).
As seen in the video and the chart, there are actually a variety of white blood cells! For example, the white blood cell in the video with multiple spots surrounding it is seen as a basophil! Each white blood cell has different functions and appearances.
Five of the most important white blood cells and their functions are:
1. Neutrophils: They are the most abundant and they use phagocytosis to destroy pathogens (engulfing of the pathogens).
2. Lymphocytes: Second most abundant and has B cells, which create antibodies that destroy pathogens targeting immune system cells, and T cells which aid in recognition of attacking germs.
3. Monocytes: Largest type of white blood cell and has receptors that detect chemical signals that indicate whether or not there is an infection or inflammation.
4. Eosinophils: 1-4% circulate in the bloodstream and are significant for fighting parasitic infections such as those that may cause malaria.
5. Basophils: Least common white blood cells that have surface receptors capable of binding a type of antibody responsible for allergic reactions,
So recently it began raining and the next day, there was a puddle teeming with mosquito larvae.
I examined their growth process in a water bottle and realized that their source of food was whatever bacteria and other organisms the water offered! They eventually grew out and I was able to examine mosquitoes under the microscope (shown in another post, check it out!).
While I tried to look at the apical meristem of an onion in the beginning, the roots rotted away before I had a chance to examine them under the microscope. However, one interesting I found instead were the small organisms that were in the rotten water: paramecium. Paramecium is composed of cilia which enable them to move quickly in water by beating it back and forth. They also eat bacteria, algae, yeasts, etc by using their cilia to sweep foods into their cell mouth.
Fun fact: A snail's anus opens into its mantle cavity which houses its lung.
snail's dung 400X
Snail poop is actually various depending on what it has eaten throughout the day. As seen in these two pictures, the different types of food it ate led to different varieties of poop.
snail's dung 1000X oil
While this is only viewed from a microscope, looking at it from a naked eye makes you realize that the color of the poop is the same color as the food they ate. For example, if they had eaten a carrot, their poop would also be orange.
When I was able to examine a drop of blood under the microscope, I remembered that there were different blood types and that this in particular was a type BO. What that means is that while the genotype of the person has B and O types, B is the phenotype shown because it is dominant over O.
BO type blood
As seen in this picture, the blood cells are all surrounded by plasma that take up nearly 55% of the blood volume while the cells only make up about 45%. The BO blood type is distinguished by the other blood types by their presence of antigens- substances known to create out antibodies.
BO type blood 400X The reason why you cannot mix blood types together such as the BO type shown here with an A type is because the antibodies will begin attacking the foreign blood type, causing clumps and other side effects to occur that may lead to death.
Toothpastes generally have 20-40% of water in them to prevent drying. Aside from that however, most of them have abrasives which are what polishes or cleanses teeth by grinding (an example of one is baking soda).
Colgate toothpaste 40X
The most common flavor added to the majority of toothpastes is mint because it not only allows people to have a "cooling" sensation when finished brushing, but also improves their breath and causes their mouth to feel "fresher". Fluoride is also a commonly used ingredient in toothpastes. However in these Colgate toothpastes, they may not contain fluoride which could help prevent teeth decay as some scientists discovered fluoride would do (thus creating controversy over whether or not it is good to use fluoride).
I know for a fact that I have preferred flavored yogurt over plain. However what is in plain yogurt
that is truly beneficial for our body?
plain yogurt 100X
Yogurts such as Greek yogurts are strained about three times to give it the creamier texture it has as seen on both pictures.
plain yogurt 1000Xoil
When seen through an oil emersion however, we not only see the small components of yogurt, but also notice small amounts of probiotics as seen below. While it doesn't contain a numerous amount of bacteria as stated in some yogurt brands, Probiotics generally aid significantly in your intestinal tracts and inhibits harmful bacteria while boosting your immune system and resisting infections!!
