aUggQA-7gBcmicrocosmos-why-are-ciliates-so-hairyMicrocosmos | Why are Ciliates So Hairy?For James, our master of microscopes, the immense breadth has made ciliates a bit of an obsession. Whether he’s hunting down a rare species, or documenting the behavior of something more familiar, there’s always something spectacular in this group.
WU3JruoA4TYmicrocosmos-this-mite-be-our-creepiest-episodeMicrocosmos | This MITE Be Our Creepiest Episode...There are a lot of creepy creatures in the world, and even the microcosmos is no place to escape them. And perhaps one of the most unsettling creatures to us here on Journey to the Microcosmos is the mite.
LySkXs1-2qMwe-fed-our-microbes-blood-so-you-dont-have-toWe Fed Our Microbes Blood So You Don't Have ToIf you’ve clicked on this video, we assume it’s because you read the title, “We fed our microbes blood so you don’t have to,” and immediately asked the question everyone asks when a youtuber says they did something so you don’t have to: but why?
llel7yCxUKcmicrocosmos-you-cant-escape-wormsMicrocosmos | You Can't Escape WormsWe have a complicated relationship with worms. On the one hand, they’re gross.
l2kpH0_chBwmicrocosmos-these-dancing-worms-are-surprisingly-usefulMicrocosmos | These Dancing Worms Are Surprisingly UsefulDo you know what’s in your water? Do you know what’s buried deep in those depths?
tIlshNCG6NImicrocosmos-blood-sucking-escape-artistsMicrocosmos | Blood-Sucking Escape ArtistsOf all the animals that we’ve examined in the microcosmos, leeches are probably one of the few that can be used as a verb, to leech off someone to take and take from them, like a worm consuming someone’s blood.
fWsbE0TQEFwmicrocosmos-this-predator-is-a-shape-shifterMicrocosmos | This Predator is A Shape-ShifterIn the middle of the 19th century, a scientist stared into the microscope and found, staring back at him, a vampire.
N4rjlqlFYGEmicrocosmos-nostoc-mysterious-mucus-pilesMicrocosmos | Nostoc: Mysterious Mucus PilesIn the 1820s, a man named Dr. R. Brandes walked through a meadow on a quest to try and answer a centuries-old question about a mysterious gelatinous substance on the ground known as “star jelly.”
W3iIcvepP_wthe-electric-relationship-between-plants-and-beesThe Electric Relationship Between Plants And BeesWhen you think of bees, you probably don’t think of single-celled eukaryotes. What could an insect have in common with, say, a ciliate?
hfbuotMzo2Umicrocosmos-this-neon-world-is-inside-your-fruitMicrocosmos | This Neon World is Inside Your FruitUsually we’re looking into pond water or whatever other fascinating bit of nature that James, our master of microscopes, usually looks at.
NG0MXsyVm-smicrocosmos-we-dont-know-why-moth-wings-glowMicrocosmis | We Don't Know Why Moth Wings GlowMemberships to Nautilus seldom go on sale, but you can go to Nautil.us/microcosmos to receive 15% off your membership.
2zhlQiBpwlEmicrocosmos-why-beggiatoa-are-stuffed-full-of-sulfurMicrocosmos | Why Beggiatoa Are Stuffed Full of SulfurThere’s a few things that give Beggiatoa away. The first is the simple serpentine shape of their bodies, and the second are those little dots inside of them. They look like bubbles, but they’re actually sulfur granules.
pGUshqfloDAmicrocosmos-the-complicated-sex-lives-of-hydraMicrocosmos | The Complicated Sex Lives of HydraIf we were to write a fable to get this moral across, it would have to star the freshwater cnidarian called the hydra. Because in the hydra, the question of butts connects to the ambiguities of immortality, which in turn relates to the befuddling matter of sexual reproduction.
oUwhY5Ro1kQthe-tube-dwelling-architects-of-the-microcosmosThe Tube-dwelling Architects of The MicrocosmosEvery time we see diatoms, we have to give it to them: they’re just simply stunning. They’re single-celled and major producers of the oxygen we breathe, but the real reason we love seeing them is because of their frustules.
0GOgiJlHkcYlichen-the-mysterious-love-child-of-fungi-and-algaeLichen | The Mysterious Love Child of Fungi and AlgaeA useful principle in the story of life is that you should never underestimate algae or cyanobacteria. They’ll just always manage to surprise you, and more importantly, to remind you that everything you have comes down, eventually, to them.
okqDQIF7XY4can-bacteria-eat-plasticCan Bacteria Eat Plastic?Our world today, the one that we have constructed, feels as if it runs on plastic. It is a building block in our bags, our bottles, clothing, toys, the list could go on and on. Plastic has become so prevalent that it’s almost impossible to escape.
6PP4kR9zCtctardigrades-the-ambassadors-of-the-microcosmosTardigrades | The Ambassadors of The MicrocosmosIf we had to nominate an ambassador to represent the microcosmos, we would have to go with the tardigrade.
Oofu8fnXWaImicrocosmos-how-your-blood-keeps-you-aliveMicrocosmos | How Your Blood Keeps You AliveBlood is a useful substance, not just for our life, but for our way of thinking.
eha8IrbbnEwhow-do-microbes-make-decisionsHow Do Microbes Make Decisions?Microbes are not just blobs. They are very well-evolved biological machinery, the product of eons of evolution that have exposed their ancestors and them to different homes and food and threats.
levSVfHats0microcosmos-these-microbes-wear-chain-mail-made-from-dnaMicrocosmos | These Microbes Wear Chain Mail Made from DNAThe microcosmos is not always a graceful space. Sometimes an organism just needs to get around the way it gets around, even if that means looking like a swimming elephant head with a truncated snout at one end and a rat tail at the other.
m5Lp6Fi5B2smicrocosmos-how-electricity-brings-order-to-chaosMicrocosmos | How Electricity Brings Order to ChaosScience is built on questions. So let’s start today with one: what do you think happens when you set off an electrical spark in the microcosmos?
r6Q82BIww08microcosmos-the-indecisive-evolution-of-gastrotrichsMicrocosmos | The Indecisive Evolution of GastrotrichsThe Gastrotrich has long been a personal favorite microbe of several members of the Journey to the Microcosmos crew. But while we were able to see a lot with the microscopes we had at the time, James, our master of microscopes, has made some significant upgrades since then and this means that we are now able to see gastrotrichs in a whole new light.
4V8-rwRJ3w8the-many-way-microbes-eat-get-eaten-and-poopThe Many Way Microbes Eat, Get Eaten, and PoopThis is a world where microbes are both residents and food, which means that occasionally, we’ll have to spend our time together watching organisms, whose bodies are fractions upon fractions upon fractions of a millimeter in size, turn into vicious predators.
P51paZFtbuka-microscopic-tour-through-a-norwegian-fjordA Microscopic Tour Through A Norwegian FjordSometimes our journey through the microcosmos feels like an expedition, a voyage filled with deep dives into the masses of organisms basking under the glow of our microscope.
nVTNsG2_uDsthis-extremely-rare-ciliate-has-only-been-seen-four-timesThis Extremely Rare Ciliate Has Only Been Seen Four TimesIf you’ve been following James, our master of microscopes, on some of his other platforms, then you know what’s coming. You know that James has published his first academic paper, it's about this extraordinarily rare ciliate that you see now called Legendrea loyezae.
JAvO9D666LMwhy-are-these-single-celled-organisms-so-largeWhy Are These Single-Celled Organisms So Large?One day, James, our master of microscopes, was cleaning the marine tanks that some of his organisms live in when he noticed this creature. It was hard to miss given that it was visible to the naked eye, thanks to both its bright red color and large size.
peiLZelOJMIbacteria-that-only-want-to-head-northBacteria That Only Want To Head NorthWhen James first saw these bacteria, all he knew is that they came from a sample taken from a Portuguese beach. And on the slide, the bacteria were swimming in a stark line.
XHagS6PT4Dgthe-microscope-upgrades-weve-made-along-the-wayThe Microscope Upgrades We've Made Along The WayThis channel wouldn’t be what it is if it weren’t for one very key invention: the microscope.
Pjr-f0w7ufQmicrocosmos-adventures-in-being-eatenMicrocosmos | Adventures in Being EatenBut not all organisms come equipped with a weapon that lets them turn Rotifers into Capri Suns.