dandelion petal

dandelion petal 2days after 40X

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.

 

skin and wrinkle

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. 

cork

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.

cork 400X

Onion Tears

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).

baking soda (crystalized)

Blood

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,

Nature's Way Primadolphilus Bifidus Probiotics

Hatched mosquito larvae part 1

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!).

Water of a rotten onion root

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.

 

 

snail poop

 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.

snail's dung 1000X oil

BO type blood

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.

Colgate toothpaste

Colgate toothpaste 400X

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). 

plain yogurt

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!!

plain yogurt 1000X oil

his wing

mosquito wing 40X

I am...

It's a larvae of some sort but... what is it really?

 It's mosquito larvae!!! These eggs are first lain into water such as in ponds and rivers, eventually

hatching to consume organisms until it is time for them to molt.

When the larvae I collected finally grew to become mosquitoes, I decided to investigate one up close. 

mosquito stylets  100X

Here the mosquito's mouth (also known as proboscis) is actually very hairy and actually has almost 150 different receptor proteins that detect where the best location to suck your blood is.

mosquito  stylets 100X

As you can see here, there is actually more than one needle that we assume is the mosquito's mouth!

6 thin spearlike parts called stylets are actually what forms the mouth as seen above. These include two maxillae, two mandibles, a hypopharynx, and a labrum. 

mosquito  stylets 400X

Each of the six stylets acts as an aid in drilling a hole for the labrum to become a straw, allowing the mosquito to drink the blood so quickly that some of the blood vessels actually collapse. 

To start, the maxillae are small teeth that cut through your skin but because they are so sharp. we are no able to feel it. Next, the mandibles pry the tissues apart for the straw to take in blood. After the consumption of blood, the hypopharynx drips the mosquito's saliva back into our skin, which while it allows our blood to circulate, also blocks immune responses and causes the itchy welts we usually

receive after a mosquito attack.

mosquito  stylets dark field 400X

Who am I?

white sugar

white sugar crystalize 40X

white sugar crystalize 100X
 

mushroom

mushroom peel 40X

mushroom peel 400X

mushroom peel 400X

banana iodine solution

banana iodine solution 40X

When iodine, dissolved in potassium iodide, is mixed with starch, it creates a purple/blue color emitting the starch if there are any.

Here, the pictures show the large array of starches covering the banana when stained with iodine.

If there weren't any starch in the banana, the pictures would have been emitted with a brown color. 

banana iodine solution 100X

Just a word of advice but if you want an energy boost, it is best to consume bananas because of 

their high concentration of starch. Starch's only function for the human body is to convert glucose into energy. It is actually broken down in your mouth to simpler carbohydrates called maltose.

banana iodine solution 400X

James Kennedy, a high school chemistry teacher in Australia, created posters showing the compounds in fruits and other natural foods to illustrate that chemicals are an unremarkable part of life.

INGREDIENTS: WATER (75%), SUGARS (12%) (GLUCOSE (48%),

FRUCTOSE (40%), SUCROSE (2%), MALTOSE (<1%)), STARCH

(5%), FIBRE E460 (3%), AMINO ACIDS (GLUTAMIC ACID (19%),

ASPARTIC ACID (16%), HISTIDINE (11%), LEUCINE (7%), LYSINE

(5%), PHENYLALANINE (4%), ARGININE (4%), VALINE (4%),

ALANINE (4%), SERINE (4%), GLYCINE (3%), THREONINE (3%),

ISOLEUCINE (3%), PROLINE (3%), TRYPTOPHAN (1%), CYSTINE

(1%), TYROSINE (1%), METHIONINE (1%)), FATTY ACIDS (1%)

(PALMITIC ACID (30%), OMEGA-6 FATTY ACID: LINOLEIC ACID

(14%), OMEGA-3 FATTY ACID: LINOLENIC ACID (8%), OLEIC ACID

(7%), PALMITOLEIC ACID (3%), STEARIC ACID (2%), LAURIC ACID

(1%), MYRISTIC ACID (1%), CAPRIC ACID (<1%)), ASH (<1%),

PHYTOSTEROLS, E515, OXALIC ACID, E300, E306

(TOCOPHEROL), PHYLLOQUINONE, THIAMIN, COLOURS

(YELLOW-ORANGE E101 (RIBOFLAVIN), YELLOW-BROWN E160a),

FLAVOURS (3-METHYLBUT-1-YL ETHANOATE, 2-METHYLBUTYL

ETHANOATE, 2-METHYLPROPAN-1-OL, 3-METHYLBUTYL-1-OL, 2-

HYDROXY-3-METHYLETHYL BUTANOATE, 3-METHYLBUTANAL,

ETHYL HEXANOATE, ETHYL BUTANOATE,, PENTYL ACETATE),

1510, NATURAL RIPENING AGENT (ETHENE GAS).

yummy banana!

banana 40X

banana 100X

banana 400X

avocado iodine solution

avocado 100X

avocado iodine solution 100X

avocado iodine solution 100X

avocado iodine solution 400X

avocado iodine solution 400X