Looking to create some life!

[McConkey]

Hello all!
Over the weekend i will be buying my first microscope for the purpose of imaging. I was wondering if anyone had any advice on how to create some live specimens for me to look at/image.

If that doesn't make sense, what i mean is....everything outside is frozen solid so i have no bird baths, ponds, muddy rivers or swamps to pull water samples from.

I probably have about 4-7 business days (depending on how fast i buy something and have it shipped) plus a day or two to get everything set up...Is there something i can be doing indoors during that time that will allow things to grow?

Not sure if this is the right forum for this topic so please feel free to point me in the right direction!

Thanks in advance for any advice!

Karl

[75RR]

If you have houseplants have a look in the water overflow trays - there is life everywhere.

[zzffnn]

You can look at:

1) your blood cells

2) vitamin C or Tylenol (acetaminophen) cystals, dissolved in water (VitC) or alcohol (Tylenol) then let re-crystalized on micrope slide. Tylenol in alcohol will recrystallize very quickly within minutes, if you use 91% isopropyl alcohol from drug stores. Then put crossed polarizers on your scope.

Google images "polarizer microscope vitamin c" for details. Here is one example: http://www.microscopy-uk.org.uk/mag/ind ... orbic.html

Basically, buy two sheets of these http://m.ebay.com/itm/5x-Lot-For-Samsun ... nav=SEARCH
Put one under condenser and the other inside scope's head. Then rotate the one under condenser.

3) soap/detergent bubbles: https://www.google.com/search?q=soap+bu ... 0Q_AUIBigB

4) mushroom spores

5) mold from food

6) algae or filter debris from aquarium (from pet store)

7) food yeast, though it may be boring

[McConkey]

Awesome suggestions guys thanks!

[charlie g]

Visit your own fish tank...or a friends fish tank! Cheap waxed paper 6oz cups...one for the house plant catch dish fluid, one for the fish tank filter water sample, one for a gentle scraping of sludge/biofilm from side of an aquarium. Mark the cups:A,B,C to recall which is which. For each add water so cups at least 50% full. Standing tap water okay if you boil it, then let it sit for a day. If you use well water...and if you do not chlorinate your well water..all the easier to add water to your specimens.

I think you might have shallow outdoor pools of life under thin ice...even if in a large city...look for green mosses...pluck a piece...let it soak in the cup a few days...you should have life! Tree branch crotches which hold snow/water/moss should be somewhere near your home...congrats on the microscopy,Glen. charlie guevara

[KurtM]

I'm gonna recommend that you buy a set of prepared slides (just enter that term into eBay or Amazon and you'll get plenty of hits). They can be had cheap or expensive or anything in between, just eyeball a set that looks interesting and doesn't break the bank. This will not only give you a few neato things to look at, but mostly will introduce you to what well prepared slides and specimens should look like. Chances are pretty good the slides are actually somewhat mediocre, but they still teach you quite a lot about microscopy - or at least, that's how it played out in my world.

EDIT: The header suggested we had a real mad scientist on our hands, and I was really looking forward to some seriously questionable ethics, etc. Darn.

[zzffnn]

LOL, Kurt. What were you thinking about.......
Please note this thread is not in "Photos and Videos", even the thread title is kinda...........

[McConkey]

Kurt - i do work for the government so who knows what I have up my sleeves!! I'll grab some "starter" slides while I wait for my babies to grow!

Charlie g - thanks for the suggestions and input! I do have 2 cherry trees I my backyard which are probably harbouring some forms of frozen life!

[Crater Eddie]

If you have any pets try a sample out of their water bowl. Be sure to scrape the sides and bottom, that's where the good stuff is.
CE

[zzffnn]

If you have any pets try a sample out of their water bowl. Be sure to scrape the sides and bottom, that's where the good stuff is.
CE

Interesting, CE.
What did you find from yours? Were there bigger critters than bacteria? I may give it a try next week, though my dogs are mostly indoors.