Single Cell Life
March 7, 2017 6:18 AM Subscribe
Peaceful protists [YT, 5:22, classical music]
More highly magnified, high resolution videos of microscopic life by Craig Smith [YT channel]:
Paramecium and Stravinsky [2:52]
Volvox Globator [0:57]
Extreme Detail in Binucleated Oxytriche Ciliated Protozoan [1:14]
Slightly less peaceful protists:
A Life and Death Drama Plays Out... [2:21]
The Intruder [1:20]
More highly magnified, high resolution videos of microscopic life by Craig Smith [YT channel]:
Paramecium and Stravinsky [2:52]
Volvox Globator [0:57]
Extreme Detail in Binucleated Oxytriche Ciliated Protozoan [1:14]
Slightly less peaceful protists:
A Life and Death Drama Plays Out... [2:21]
The Intruder [1:20]
"Oh, good. I would love to see some peaceful protests with some lovely background music. The perfect antidote to all the recent news."
*click*
*re-read FPP*
"Oh. "
posted by Frayed Knot at 7:35 AM on March 7, 2017
*click*
*re-read FPP*
"Oh. "
posted by Frayed Knot at 7:35 AM on March 7, 2017
very cool!
I've always wondered about these images. The cell looks flat. Is it squished down between two plates of glass? Or is it naturally flat? Or is the flatness a result of the video, and it's not flat even though it looks it? If it's not naturally flat, what does it naturally look like? A blimp?
What are the mechanisms for movement? What are cell "muscles"? Why does the cell have color? Is it pigmented? Does it have plumage to signal fitness to a mate?
Are these cells that live inside of me? Are they inside my eyeballs right now? Might they be what my eyeballs are composed of?
Do cells like this also live in plants?
What is the largest single-cell organism? What is the smallest multi-cell organism? Does a single-cell organism have the same rights as the individual cells in a multi-cell organism? Or does it have more rights? Does it have less rights than the whole multi-cell organism?
You can train bumblebees. You can maybe train paramecia. Can you train cells? Can you train cells through epigenetics?
posted by rebent at 8:59 AM on March 7, 2017
I've always wondered about these images. The cell looks flat. Is it squished down between two plates of glass? Or is it naturally flat? Or is the flatness a result of the video, and it's not flat even though it looks it? If it's not naturally flat, what does it naturally look like? A blimp?
What are the mechanisms for movement? What are cell "muscles"? Why does the cell have color? Is it pigmented? Does it have plumage to signal fitness to a mate?
Are these cells that live inside of me? Are they inside my eyeballs right now? Might they be what my eyeballs are composed of?
Do cells like this also live in plants?
What is the largest single-cell organism? What is the smallest multi-cell organism? Does a single-cell organism have the same rights as the individual cells in a multi-cell organism? Or does it have more rights? Does it have less rights than the whole multi-cell organism?
You can train bumblebees. You can maybe train paramecia. Can you train cells? Can you train cells through epigenetics?
posted by rebent at 8:59 AM on March 7, 2017
rebent, the flatness is a result of the fact that only a thin section of the protist is in focus at any one time. You adjust the microscope to focus on the plane that shows you what you want to see. In 3d, protists look like...all sorts of things.
I will leave the rest of the questions for someone who knows more protist bio than me.
posted by quaking fajita at 9:40 AM on March 7, 2017
I will leave the rest of the questions for someone who knows more protist bio than me.
posted by quaking fajita at 9:40 AM on March 7, 2017
largest single-cell organism
Depends on how you define size and whether you count cells with more than one nucleus, but here's a list.
smallest multi-cell organism
A good candidate would be the Dicyemida, which are parasitic protists that live in the kidneys of cephalopods. They're made up of about 20-30 cells.
posted by jedicus at 10:58 AM on March 7, 2017
Depends on how you define size and whether you count cells with more than one nucleus, but here's a list.
smallest multi-cell organism
A good candidate would be the Dicyemida, which are parasitic protists that live in the kidneys of cephalopods. They're made up of about 20-30 cells.
posted by jedicus at 10:58 AM on March 7, 2017
Quaking Fajita, if you look at the video at 2:20, it really looks to me like the flagellum are squished on top of the creature.
posted by rebent at 11:28 AM on March 7, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by rebent at 11:28 AM on March 7, 2017 [1 favorite]
rebent
- depends on the microscope setup; you can drop a droplet of liquid with the cells suspended in it on a microscope slide, then you place a (usually glass) coverslip on top; there's still some space between the slide and the slip because of the liquid. Otherwise, you can look at cells suspended in the liquid - but the magnification limit is lower (mostly) because of light diffraction. With a slide/coverslip setup you can use oil with the same diffraction index as the coverslip and microscope lens to minimize light diffraction through media with different diffraction indices.
- gravity does pull on these cells so they're kinda-sorta elipsoid when viewed from the side
- cell 'muscles': see actin. I like this one [yt] - it's a video render of a kinesin protein attached to a vesicle of some kind walking along a microtubule composed of beta tubulin.
- colour: some protists have chloroplasts, many cells have proteins that scatter light to varying extents, and some cells even have specialized proteins that impart pigment
- training: ... define "cells" - many/most single-celled organisms can detect, if not light, chemical gradients. You can use various chemical gradients to influence actions by these organisms. But not really "train," by definition.
- epigenetics: is probably not what you're thinking of; it's modifications of the germline DNA in response to environmental stimuli (possibly) affecting gene transcription rate in offspring of the modified gene/regulatory region.
- squished: are you referring to the cilia (the hairlike waving bits - they look like eyelashes on this little dude)? Yes, the cilia are not restricted to the horizontal plane.
posted by porpoise at 1:52 PM on March 7, 2017 [1 favorite]
- depends on the microscope setup; you can drop a droplet of liquid with the cells suspended in it on a microscope slide, then you place a (usually glass) coverslip on top; there's still some space between the slide and the slip because of the liquid. Otherwise, you can look at cells suspended in the liquid - but the magnification limit is lower (mostly) because of light diffraction. With a slide/coverslip setup you can use oil with the same diffraction index as the coverslip and microscope lens to minimize light diffraction through media with different diffraction indices.
- gravity does pull on these cells so they're kinda-sorta elipsoid when viewed from the side
- cell 'muscles': see actin. I like this one [yt] - it's a video render of a kinesin protein attached to a vesicle of some kind walking along a microtubule composed of beta tubulin.
- colour: some protists have chloroplasts, many cells have proteins that scatter light to varying extents, and some cells even have specialized proteins that impart pigment
- training: ... define "cells" - many/most single-celled organisms can detect, if not light, chemical gradients. You can use various chemical gradients to influence actions by these organisms. But not really "train," by definition.
- epigenetics: is probably not what you're thinking of; it's modifications of the germline DNA in response to environmental stimuli (possibly) affecting gene transcription rate in offspring of the modified gene/regulatory region.
- squished: are you referring to the cilia (the hairlike waving bits - they look like eyelashes on this little dude)? Yes, the cilia are not restricted to the horizontal plane.
posted by porpoise at 1:52 PM on March 7, 2017 [1 favorite]
So soothing...
posted by cellar door at 6:05 PM on March 7, 2017
posted by cellar door at 6:05 PM on March 7, 2017
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