invisible mushroom spores

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I didn't expect to see an army of spores stuck on the mushrooms when I first observed the fungi under the microscope. Surprisingly, they looked similar to poppy seeds.

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Generally, mushrooms are only created to release its spores (reproduction). A larger branch of fungi underground grows mushrooms when the conditions are right. The sight of mushrooms also means that there are likely a large amount of organic matter near it as well since that's how fungi are able to grow (by breaking down the organic matter).

Mono Lake water and Tufa Towers

Over the summer, I took a trip to Mammoth lake and encountered something I've never seen before:  a salty lake!!!

The lake was called Mono Lake and the reason for its saltiness is because there is no place for water to leave the lake: mountains flow water down to the lake but since the only way for the water to leave is by evaporation, it is saline.

Some fun facts: The lake is covered in brine shrimp, attracting A LOT of bird to the shore line! The lake was also nicknamed as the lake that is "saltier than the sea"!

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If you've seen my posts about drying lubricant tear drops and baking sodas, then this must seem a bit familiar to you. I also dried some of the mono lake water I collected and sure enough, they showed the similar image as the other two substances I tested with! The likely reason for this is because water is alkaline and has a pH level of around 10. The other reason is, like stated earlier, the water is extremely salty.

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The water also creates pillars around the lake called tufa towers. Below is a deeper description of how the towers are formed by the calcium and carbonates 

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My June bug is...

BEFORE YOU READ THE POST:

I didn't observe the June bug under the microscope because it meant I had to dissect the bug because of its large mass and I felt too sorry to do this.

The pictures you will see are macro photos.

But I hope you all still enjoy this post!

 I think we've all seen these bugs throughout the summer: with very loud wings and the tendency to chase you around at times.

 But I think you may also know that they only live for a short time . . . except one particular bug.. 

At around August, I found a June bug on the sidewalk nearly dead (it was nonmoving) and I decided to try and revive it.

I gave the bug a piece of peach and . . . it sprang to life!!!
Eventually it became strong enough the hang onto the leaf stems and move its wings around!

The June bug survived for three more months before dying but what I realized from this was that maybe June bugs were dying early because there was a lack of food.

Regardless, it was a great experience observing the bug because I was able to learn various facts such as the June bug being picky and not eating the same types of fruit I gave it multiple times. I also realized the shiny green coat the bug has doesn't go away after it dies but stays on, which slightly surprised me.

1st solo exhibition "Adventures under the Microscope

Aug 24, 2017- June 2018

 



with my best Science teacher Mrs. Elliot

1st solo exhibition (Irvine High School Science Building)

Aug 24, 2017- June 2018

 

 

 

 

 Preface

Micro-Miracle Have you ever seen probiotics pierce through bacteria? Or have you witnessed the activity yeast cells have from grape juice? We all know that cliché saying: Don’t judge a book by its cover. But does it really just apply to humans? It turns out, ever object and organism has two sets of identities: An identity we see on a daily basis and an identity that is only shown when looked at more closely. The microworld has hidden secrets that can unlock mysteries of the big world!

Lightning-Lighting When you try viewing something under the microscope, you’ll quickly realize you’re unable to unless you have light. Put shortly, the lighter, the more visible the sample will be. Using that fact, I suppose the same thing occurred within my head. In biology class, my head sparked a curiosity on microscopes as I began to experience more labs. In order to go more in depth, I used my microscope to investigate organisms and objects we see on a daily basis. And so, for the past three years, I observed slides with lubricant tear drops, the wings of insects, paramecium, dust, and much more.

Observation and More The fundamental subject of science depends on one thing: observation. Of course, it doesn’t just end with observations! From these observations, there is an opportunity for your own “self-study” by analyzing this new-found information you have gained from your use of the microscope: “what is the scientific origin of a certain feature?” or “why are these structures in this certain shape?” (these questions are only a few examples of the many you can create when looking through different slides under the scope). This gallery here is merely a sample of the thousand pictures I’ve taken under the microscope and posted onto my blog. If you would like to experience the microscopic world for yourself, feel free to also join our club IMC (Irvine Microscope Club).

                One last thing: I just want to give a huge shout-out to Mrs. Elliott who helped me form this gallery and has also taught at this amazing school for forty years!!! Thus, I dedicate this gallery to her!

 

Microscope lover and IMC founder,                                    

 

            Kyu-Been Lee           

                                

My Blog: adventuresinthemicroscope.blogspot.com 

IMC Blog: irvinemicroscope.blogspot.com

 

special dots

For all of you who wear lipstick for makeup, this may not be the brightest news to listen to as the post will talk about what lipstick consists of.

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See those colorful spots on the lipstick smudge? Well it turns out . . . those are different types of metals! The FDA released a study in 2009 which showed lead in every lipstick sample that was tested!

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The metals include lead (as stated above), beryllium, thallium, and more! According to the University of California, women put on lipstick from two to fourteen times a day, meaning a significant amount of possible lipstick ingestion!

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Perhaps in the future, lipsticks should be created with less harmful substances that would also substitute the large amount of metals found in lipstick. For example, Cleopatra of ancient Egypt was said to create lipstick by crushing bugs to obtain the red color!

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yellow sponge, square pants

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To. Nature's Way

8-21-17

To Whom It May Concern,

Hello! My name is Kyu Been Lee, a high school senior at Irvine High School. I want to start off by saying how thankful I am for your products. My dad had suffered Irritable Bowel Syndrome for about 20 years and wasn’t able to solve it despite various attempts. However, after trying Nature’s Way products Primadophilus Bifidus 5 and 90 billion, the syndrome had almost completely disappeared. For that, I wanted to just thank you for creating an amazing product for millions across the world.

            After witnessing the benefits my dad received from the capsules, I decided to try and experiment on the product for a science fair (The title of it was “Epidemiologic experiments of probiotics’ mechanism (direct antagonism) as stability”). I am fond of using the microscope and through research, I learned much about the probiotics’ function, even observing direct antagonism with black mold. I was also able to observe their vitality duration in body temperature.

            Though there are many positives for the product, I also have some concerns. It is true that my dad was able to recover quickly by consuming the 90 billion probiotic capsules. However, I did notice that he didn’t have as much progress when he tried the 5 billion probiotic capsules. To see why, I tried an experiment with the 5 and 90 billion capsules in many different environments (one of the environments was experiment 1-4: 98.6-degree body temperature and a pH level of 2.4). What I saw was that in just 1 hour and 4 minutes, the capsule for the 5 billion probiotics already broke down and the probiotics that escaped the capsule died almost immediately in the low pH. I wondered if an error was made regarding the capsule’s durability because if that was the case, then that also meant that not all of the probiotics were able to reach the small intestine. Would it be possible for me to see a copy of the experiment and the data that was collected? As a student, I do not have access to a lot of scientific equipment and I am interested in the methodology your company used to conduct their experiments. I have attached the data results from my own experiment and the chart with my own conclusions.

 

Thank you for your time.  I anxiously await your response.

Sincerely,

Kyu Been Lee

 

My gmail: solarsea7@gmail.com

My microscope blog: adventuresinthemicroscope.blogspot.com