This is a video of a Tardigrade (Phylum Tardigrada), a microscopic animal.  Also known as "water bears", these organisms are truly one of nature's most amazing sights.  Research has shown that they can survive for years without water and can even survive in the vacuum of space, even when exposed to high levels of radiation!  This is due to a remarkable adaptation, namely the ability to assume an inactive state.  This state is known as a "tun".

They are typically found in dried lichen or moss.  Once exposed to water, water bears will come out of their inactive form.  When I first collected a sample of moss from a tree in my backyard, I found nothing resembling tuns, although there were some strong candidates.  When I checked a day later, I came upon the water bear shown in the video.  It may have been in its inactive state for months or even years.

The above are pictures I took on my microscope of one of my favorite microscopic organisms, Blepharisma.  This ciliate can be easily distinguished from other protists by its size and its reddish color, which is usually present in darker environments.  When viewed in areas with bright light, Blepharisma loses its reddish color.  This is due to the reduced production of a pigment in areas of bright light.

Notice in the above pictures, the organisms have ingested other protists.  The one on the bottom has ingested a large protist.  In the first picture, the ingested food is encircled by a clearly visible food vacuole, which digests the ingested food.  

The Microscope

Here is a picture of a common microscope.  Microscopes have come a long way from the simple designs made by Anton Leuwenhoek, considered to be one of the pioneers of microbiology.  The microscope shown above is known as a "compound microscope".  Other microscope types include "stereo microscopes" and "electron microscopes", the latter of which provide the greatest magnification (but at a very high cost!).  

Welcome!

Welcome to "The Microscopic World" blog!  I am a long time student and first time blogger.  I have always had an interest in the biological sciences, especially microbiology.  I think it is one of the most fascinating fields in science.  This blog is for all those admirers of the microscopic world, a world which humanity only noticed a few hundred years ago.  I welcome contributions from individuals, whether they are photographs, videos or general knowledge.  Full credit will be given, of course.