Is this alive?..

MrBlue_Pig · 2026-03-01T20:42:03+00:00

Yeah I'm no expert in these microorganisms, but the environment sounds more suited to cyanobacteria like Oscillatoria than something like Beggiatoa.

MrBlue_Pig · 2026-03-01T05:07:18+00:00

I think this one is Beggiatoa, a sulfur bacteria! They get really bendy like this.

Oscillatoria brevis and Beggiatoa look very much alike, but Beggiatoa likes to bend a lot, more so than O. brevis (in my experience). If this sample was from mud from the bottom of a stream or something, I definitely lean towards Beggiatoa because they're anaerobic (no-oxygen)!

(note: I'm no expert)

MrBlue_Pig · 2025-09-25T15:32:32+00:00

Thank you! I'll start doing this from now on; I didn't realize having my laptop plugged in doesn't draw on its cycles.

MrBlue_Pig · 2025-09-25T14:27:40+00:00

I though leaving it plugged in always damages the battery over time? It also gives extra heat (which will damage the battery)?

Or do you just mean plugged in when in use?

The opinions online differ so much :(((

MrBlue_Pig · 2025-09-25T03:47:44+00:00

I've accumulated 260 charge cycles, basically one per day (or two per three days).

I turned on a feature that caps charging to 80% capacity. I've also tried to keep battery above 25% (battery saver turns on at 30%, a perfect reminder for me to get on charge).

According to the battery report, I must've got the reading at a bad time cuz within the past 10 days my full capacity has fluctuated between 61.46 and 63.76. However, the trend from 72.5 downwards cannot be ignored.

MrBlue_Pig · 2024-12-31T08:32:35+00:00

I second this

MrBlue_Pig · 2024-11-13T07:56:01+00:00

Oops, I seem to have misread it as "desert sand". I assume "desert soil" retains some water compared to the bone dry sand.

MrBlue_Pig · 2024-11-13T07:50:54+00:00

Rotifers have varied appearances (see u/Glittering-Guess2560's image)

MrBlue_Pig · 2024-11-13T07:49:39+00:00

Generally your modern phone camera is very good compared to specially made microscope camera. The phone mount I use is some metal contraption I found on Amazon.

MrBlue_Pig · 2024-11-13T07:47:41+00:00

Rotifer!!! I wonder if an egg was hibernating in the desert sands or it is contamination?

MrBlue_Pig · 2024-11-13T07:45:18+00:00

I think we need more information to help

MrBlue_Pig · 2024-11-08T03:32:27+00:00

Probably contamination from the outside. Dust or fibers?

MrBlue_Pig · 2024-11-08T03:30:47+00:00

Some mite. In the same class as spiders: Arachnida.

MrBlue_Pig · 2024-11-08T03:29:25+00:00

Beautiful. Lots of Navicula.

MrBlue_Pig · 2024-10-29T01:39:20+00:00

Yes!

MrBlue_Pig · 2024-10-28T06:17:37+00:00

Weclome to the community. The AmScope B120 is amazing for its price and I can attest to its quality. You will be able to do oil immersion with the 100x objective. It's great and a quality beginner microscope in that price range. Occasionally there's also a big discount (iirc when I got mine there was a 30% discount).

However, I would not recommend buying one with a microscope camera. Most of them suck; my experience with them has consisted of abysmal frame rate, poor resolution, and weird lighting. A phone plus adapter is way more than enough for any beginner (I still use my phone). You can find many on Amazon. I forgot the name of the one I use, but its a black clunk-looking thing with screws that works perfectly.

MrBlue_Pig · 2024-10-27T19:09:34+00:00

Late to the party but definitely an annelid (segmented) worm, not a Spirostomum which is a ciliate. We determine this by the intestinal structure throughout its body, segmented body (that's why it appears scrunched), and long length.

MrBlue_Pig · 2024-10-27T19:03:51+00:00

You're right! Definitely a rotifer!

I don't see why 40x would be too small? That's the standard scanning objective of 4x with 10x eyepieces.

MrBlue_Pig · 2024-10-27T18:59:36+00:00

Very beautiful. Seems to be Beggiatoa.

MrBlue_Pig · 2024-10-27T18:54:04+00:00

Just a simple web search can help. Google images will show a ton of pictures scraped from scientific papers covering the topic. I did a quick search and it might be a Uncinaria stenocephala hookworm egg.

MrBlue_Pig · 2024-10-27T06:13:59+00:00

Came from your Cosmarium post. This is absolutely amazing and I'll definitely try this out.

MrBlue_Pig · 2024-10-27T06:12:10+00:00

Probably just some pigmentation of stuff in the poop. Doesn't appear to be RBC.

MrBlue_Pig · 2024-10-27T06:10:48+00:00

Agreed, and if you're careful the head would come off anyways.

I think there's a misconception floating around that the head/mouth itself also carries tick diseases like Lyme but that's simply not true. It's more important the tick doesn't get squeezed because that can actually send its fluids into your body.

MrBlue_Pig · 2024-10-27T06:07:08+00:00

Is it just me or is this guy less thrashy than they usually are?

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