And then I woke up.
Are these things dangerous?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90opbcYT2o0
The Dance Of The Spirochaetes - Video
Moderators: rjlittlefield, ChrisR, Chris S., Pau
The Dance Of The Spirochaetes - Video
Like a Mongol hoard, a swarm of Spirochetes works it's way across the landscape, leaving a multitude of dead in it's wake. Single celled corkscrews on steroids, they act like they have some grand scheme to take over their world. And then the Queen dies, they stop, milling around mindlessly.
And then I woke up.
Are these things dangerous?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90opbcYT2o0
And then I woke up.
Are these things dangerous?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90opbcYT2o0
Hi Mitch, I enjoyed your spirochete video. I've been fascinated by how you'll often see a bloom of these bacteria when you first prepare a wet mount slide from some type of pond water. I've not seen such a tight group sweep across a slide, as you captured in your video, but I have seen bands of spirochete activity that work their way across the sample. Interestingly, these seem to be circular bands, though not as tight as the little circle of activity that you videoed. I've wondered what is it about the conditions under the cover slip that are so favorable to this happening, but I'm not sure. In some of my cases, I've wondered if preparing the slide has damaged some larger creatures and released nurtients (and maybe the spirochetes themselves) into the water.
I often seal the coverslip with vaseline to keep it for a longer period of observation, and you can see something of the changing ecology that takes place in this tiny aquarium. For example, in one of the last slides I prepared this way, the bacterial bloom was soon followed by a bloom of small flagellate protists, which seemed to feeding on the bacteria. The nature of the larger protozoa also goes through changes as to which ones are most prevalent.
Thanks for sharing you video.
John
PS: If you use vaseline to seal a coverslip, make sure you keep the vaseline completely under the coverslip. You don't want a stray blob that you could drag your 40x objective through.
I often seal the coverslip with vaseline to keep it for a longer period of observation, and you can see something of the changing ecology that takes place in this tiny aquarium. For example, in one of the last slides I prepared this way, the bacterial bloom was soon followed by a bloom of small flagellate protists, which seemed to feeding on the bacteria. The nature of the larger protozoa also goes through changes as to which ones are most prevalent.
Thanks for sharing you video.
John
PS: If you use vaseline to seal a coverslip, make sure you keep the vaseline completely under the coverslip. You don't want a stray blob that you could drag your 40x objective through.
Thanks for looking John. I have watched these spirochetes many times, and never seen a circular swarm before. Most times, it is a ball, as in the first part of the video, and almost always, there is a line of them that might go across the whole coverslip, like following a highway from a small plane in the air. Starting from nowhere and ending at nowhere that makes sense to me.
I have often wondered, what is it, what can it possibly be, in a single celled animal, that allows it to follow a trail, or find another of it's kind. Pressure waves in the water, sound, smell, tiny changes in temperature? Most of the animals even seem to be aware of their impending doom, and react to it like any higher order animal, [if there is such a thing], would. It's very humbling to observe.
I have often wondered, what is it, what can it possibly be, in a single celled animal, that allows it to follow a trail, or find another of it's kind. Pressure waves in the water, sound, smell, tiny changes in temperature? Most of the animals even seem to be aware of their impending doom, and react to it like any higher order animal, [if there is such a thing], would. It's very humbling to observe.