GMU:Flagelates, Nematodes, and I/Brogen Berwick

From Medien Wiki

Brogen Berwick's exploration of Micro-organisms

Project description

Initial Microscope research - Week one

Research about Nematodes

  • Cannibal worms recognise their children—and don’t eat them as a result

YouTube video by Science Magazine Youtube

  • Meet the Most Important Animal You’ve Never Seen

Youtube video by SciShow channel Youtube


Documentary style videos

Movements

Nematode vs human??

Can you human body performance like a Nematode? Can the human body move like a Nematode? Can the human body become like a Nematode? Can a human move like a Nematode, is it physically possible?

Youtube Screenshot 2020-12-03 at 15.26.33.png

VS

Youtube Screenshot 2020-12-03 at 15.26.56.png

SOMA - Dance Performers

As the human body is at the heart of SOMA, our dictionary of the physical movement within the performance is defined by its abilities and inabilities. We ask ourselves what the human body is capable of expressing and what are its limitations.

Nematode Movements

Examples that show the way in which Nematodes move and position themselves

Netflix - My Octopus Teacher

Notes from watching the documentary

  • There is something to learn here, something special.
  • He totally mapped the octopuses environment to learn from her
  • There was total trust between the octopus and him
  • He almost became the octopus, he was obsessed
  • The octopus taught him to become sensitised to the other
  • Our lives were mirroring each others
  • The octopus sacrifices her own life for her young
  • In my mind I think like an octopus
  • That is there strategy - live fast die young
  • The octopus showed me just how precious the wild places are

First tests with the phone microscope

Screenshot 2020-11-20 at 15.58.37.png


Making a medium for the Nematode

I found a DIY recipe to make an agar plate to hopefully awaken the Nematodes

Making my own Growth Medium

Ingredients for the recipe

  • 0.5g Peptone
  • 0.3g Yeast
  • 1.5g Agar
  • 0.5g Salt
  • 120ml Water

Screenshot 2020-11-20 at 16.13.28.png

Reflections

Sadly, I don't think that my medium recipe contained enough Agar because the solution didn't solidify, it remained a kind of liquid solution.

How to improve the recipe - add more agar to the recipe?

2nd Attempt to make Medium

IMG 7331.JPG IMG 7332.JPG

Reflections

Because the previous recipe didn't solidify, for this recipe I added 0.5g more Agar to the mixture and then heated up the solution and poured it back into the petri dishes to then store in the fridge again. Hopefully this time the solution will solidify.

Can you see the Nematodes?

Screenshot 2020-11-23 at 17.08.29.png

Are the Nematodes alive in the agar I created? Are they swimming or sleeping?

Reflections

After cooling the Agar in the fridge I waited 1 hour before emptying my Nematodes into the 5 different petri-dishes. I checked on them on an hourly basis to see if they were waking up and moving...Sadly I don't think they are alive. There was no movement. After 2 days the agar seemed to separate, it became very liquidy and a kind of kind grew over the top of the Agar. I don't think my agar recipe worked

After a few days my medium solution had separated, I don't think I created the correct ratio of the ingredients

Sixpetidish.jpg

Moving nematodes - pocket microscope

After sourcing some more Nematodes I used the pocket microscope to see if I could see them moving, and yes they were moving, however it was really difficult to keep the pocket microscope still so I plan to vie them under the microscope in the lab so that I have more control.

To view the videos larger I have uploaded them to YouTube

WOW I found out about slime mould

Youtube video by the BBC about the importance of slime mould in our woodlands Youtube

Screenshot 2020-12-09 at 12.08.41.png

  • Relentless shape shifting goo
  • It eats anything that gets in it's path
  • Essential service in cleaning up our woodlands
  • White fungus is it's pray
  • When all food is gone the slime mould co-operates with itself to mass produce
  • It's not a plant, animal or fungus, just one giant cell
  • Moves 1cm an hour
  • The whole thing is a network
  • Slime mould can learn about it's surroundings

Trying to revive some dried slime mould

I will now wait 1 hour in the hope that the slime mould is becoming hydrated and will eat the oats!

After 3 days the slime mould didn't revive itself, so I will source some more slime mould!


Cultivating slime mould

Looking under the Microscope

Using both the phone extension microscope, the pocket microscope and the Lab microscope


Crossing borders with slime mould

Over the Christmas break me and my slime mould went on a journey back to the UK

Slimemould.JPG Here you can see I tried to revive my slime mould, I bought Petri dishes and Agar to make the right environment for the slime mould but as you can see the slime mould didn't grow.

Agar.JPG This was the Agar powder I bought offline

Slimemould.JPG I wanted to wait a few more days to see if the slime mould would be able to grow, therefore I gave each Petri dish some more oat flakes to entice the slime mould to feed but it was unsuccessful and the more days I waited for the slime mould to grow the more I began to die and go mouldy to the point where I had to throw away all the Agar dishes because they were very contaminated with mould.


Plans for slime mould progress

I began to explore how I could finalise all my research and come up with a final outcome so I stared to reflect on the work I had done and also look for visual inspiration.

  • Inspiration one

I liked this digital manipulation of slime mould because of the variety of colours that were achieved. Screenshot 2021-01-07 at 10.44.44.png

  • Inspiration two

"Suzie, the Amazing Color Changing Slime Mold" - Slime mould that has been modified to be able to change colour!

Screenshot 2021-01-07 at 11.12.10.png Youtube

How to dye slime mould??

Colour.JPG