"Our bodies, after all, are built out of the lessons that nature learned with them." that was a dope-ass line you just casually threw down at the end there my dude
@@greg77389 This channel is probably like a hobby for Hank, meaning they talk about their observations in the microcosmos and their thoughts on these observations. I don't mind the musing parts, and the same probably goes for most other people watching this. Just leave a dislike and move on.
Trick for imaging things that are too thick/break when a coverslip is applied: Cut a coverslip into 4 thin glass strips (diamond knife is useful, but it goes not necessarily need to be super precise). Glue a stack of 2 glass strips on each side of a slide (these serve as spacers). Apply sample in the middle. Place intact coverslip on top (resting on top of the spacers). If your sample still gets crushed, glue on additional spacers on top of the others. This is how zebrafish embryos are imaged.
@@teyton90 We do basically the same thing to look at sea urchin eggs/larvae, but we use just drag the four corners of the coverslip through clay to put clay "feet" on it. This has the advantage of letting you press the coverslip gently down if you wish to get it a bit closer to the slide
Don't worry Rotifer - I love Amoebas and Tardigrades, but you'll always be my favorite! (honestly, I approve of this comment ! I saw the comment before I noticed the username, and woke my housemate up laughing after I realized)
"Primitive..." it's worth remembering that _everything_ we can see today has been evolving for 4 billion years or so, even the most 'primitive' organisms. It's no wonder that even the simplest organisms most similar to their ancient ancestors have developed some fascinating complexity.
This is a *severely* underrated channel. Brilliantly narrated and written, and who can argue against how awesome the visuals of the microcosmos are. Thank you for the fantastic content
I wouldnt say its underrated, actually. It's still a fairly new channel that has very quickly developed a large cult following, and is still growing wonderfully. It truly is a genius channel and it's definitely recognized for that.
If you do a search here on UA-cam, you can find all the original episodes of cosmos. Man, that first episode in particular blew my mind. Sagan could explain complex things to the lay person better than any other science communicator I know of.
it sounds profound... but really it's just a sneaky anthropomorphism of Nature into some sort of conscious gaia-type being. as far as we can tell, nature does not intentionally "learn" any "lessons", it just stores mutations in DNA and lets natural selection do its thing.
@@alveolate Yes, but we can term that chemical selection of genes and their propagation as part of 'Nature' too. You cant limit or define 'Nature' as storing mutations but label their selection and propagation into species as 'Not Nature'. Its just a catch all term for a complicated underlying reality
I have a fun story about amoebas. Back when I had my first microscope around age 12, I started to get serious about culturing protozoans. My scope was just a cheap piece of crap Tasco, but it could do protozoa just fine, so I did a lot of pond, ditch and creek water samples, cataloguing everything I could find. Ever voracious for more and more to see, I decided to experiment with culturing by first taking a sample of water and then adding broth to it and seeing what would happen over several days. My nightmares awoke fully in me after I mixed some beef bouillon to a quart jar pond water sample and leaving it loosely covered in our barn in summer. I would go out every day, make a slide from the jar and observe on site, using sunlight with the microscope's mirror for illumination. Eventually, the jar took on the smell of dirty socks. One day, I stood there in the barn, squinting to see, and noting that nothing was visibly moving nor alive. BUT, I did notice a strange sort of speckle appearance to the entire sample, and it seemed to glisten strangely. Whatever it was, it was _tiny,_ at the limits of the microscope, and seemed to be _moving._ I upped the power all the way, got the best light I could, and tried again. Carefully focusing, I finally got it, and was horror struck to note not a few, not dozens, but hundreds, perhaps thousands of tiny, tiny amoebas slowly oozing around the sample. At the time, my mom was taking college courses for her RN license, and I was constantly reading her medical books, which often included graphic photos of various diseases. In one illustration, amoebas had infected a patient's intestines, which then breached their liver, diaphraham and infected the lung as well on a path of rampant destruction. There I stood in the barn, and it all clicked hard in my head - the smell of dirty socks meant at least _something_ was getting in the air from a jar full of amoebas scarcely bigger than red blood cells, and I was breathing that something in. I did a quick sketch of what I saw, then immediately dumped the jar and vigorously washed my hands, fearing that I would die of amoebic dysentery any day, lol. I also stopped the beef broth experiments entirely, despite that they had so often provided such amazing results. Now that I have a vastly better microscope setup, I really wish I had a sample of those tiny, tiny guys. I've seen plenty of common amoebas with it, but those were definitely something more interesting.
@@rhetoric5173 Might have to actually make an exception for certain cases though, pending further research on the subject. For now, here's this: Balamuthia Mandrillaris Balamuthia is found in the soil. While exposure is common, infection is very rare. Only about 200 cases of Balamuthia have been reported worldwide. It's thought that infection begins by the amoeba invading the skin or by inhaling airborne cysts through the mouth or nose. Symptoms are very similar to Acanthamoeba infection.8 Diagnosis is difficult and appropriate treatment uncertain, although the investigational drug miltefosine along with other antifungal and antibiotics may be used.7
If there are awards for perfectly made yt video, this channel should get em for all of these series... Graphics, background music, narrative voice and dynamic...all perfect. Length of video long enough to teach you and relax you, short enough not to put you to sleep. Respect.
I love amoebas. They're the first thing I ever remember researching outside of school on my own volition. Thanks for taking the time to make these. I didn't even realize it was Hank narrating these until I'd seen 5 or 6 of them.
You lost me in the first minute when I realized that I didn't know nearly enough about brain eating amoebas. And now I know WAY TOO MUCH about brain eating amoebas. Thanks, Hank...
I think the reason I absolutely love this channel is (other than the incredibly soothing voice and music) is the fact that they are more than willing to admit what we don’t know, even asking people to go figure out stuff, and because of this, because they show all the cool things we know as well as the countless multitude of stuff still to discover. It just fills me with curiosity and keeps me hooked. Absolutely love this channel, never change.
To avoid crushing samples, buy some of those glass spacer rings or rectangles which are made for protecting fragile microscopic organisms. Alternatively, a ring of lacquer or gum can be used: Paint the ring, allow it to become almost dry, add the sample, and then the cover slip.
I love that the advert algorithm has no idea how to classify these videos, i keep getting adverts for biochemical lab equipment and other random similar stuff!
8:17 Might it be better to ask "if they are better off" without mitochondria? Evolution tends to get better, but that's a trend, not a constant :) Fascinating hypothesis, which is probably right, however!
Given that life needs energy to sustain its order .. anything which can provide it will almost always be a benefit. In their case, maybe its their inner bacterial flora that may provide some energy source/system that is sufficient enough that they didnt have the need to keep mitochondria incorporated too. Mitochondria do play a role in cell death in our bodies. If they lyse, the cell is usually doomed to die too from the chemicals they release. Maybe amoebas were better off in some specific aspect of the evolutionary barter trade system. Fascinating indeed!
Who knows if they're better off or not. Things happen and it's chaotic and random. That amoeba might've lost its mitochondria somehow, and managed to survive because of some other event or circumstance, and went on to reproduce and start a new species, but that doesn't mean it's better off. Life isn't about making choices to be better off, it's about surviving the bad things that sometimes happen just long enough to reproduce.
There are plenty of examples where "losing" stuff is advantageous, like vestigial features. Birds "lost" their teeth, which was advantageous because that reduced incubation times where both eggs and parents are at risk.
@@andybeans5790 sort of... we have tens of thousands of genes, so it's more of 'what happened and how' and not 'why'. Are your earlobes attached? Do you have morton's toe? are you right or left-handed? Are you lactose in/tolerant? Do you have the tendon visible when you bring your thumb to middle finger tip? Do you have murderer's thumb? It's all situational and circumstantial, so that's why it's a good practice to ask *if* because we don't want to get used to the idea that genetic mutations are necessarily advantageous. :)
It's pretty simple at the heart of it. Just think of a water balloon. If you squeeze one part of it, the water pressure decreases in that part and it gets smaller. While the other end will see a rise in pressure and bulge outwards. If you imagine it has a sticky coating on it, it's not a huge leap to see how it could move along by sticking the bulging bit to the ground while releasing the bit that's being squeezed from the ground. Amoebas just have more control over this squeezing and bulging mechanism, so they can squeeze or bulge specific parts of themselves.
So, I'm not a biologist but from my understanding they use microtubules to extend their cell membrane in the direction they want to, then push their cytoplasm into that extension. Then the rest of the cell follows. But I'd recommend googling for more accurate information.
@@Ryan-tz7sx wait, .....!!! WAIT ONE DAMN SECOND! Someone on the internet, someone on UA-cam, admitting they're not an expert in something?!?!?!? Ladies and gentlemen... this is... this is monumental... we are witnessing history in the making! QUICKLY, GET THIS MAN A MEDAL OR SOMETHING! : D : ) Man it's so refreshing seeing someone admit they dont know everything!
@YamFestival OK, viscosity, makes sense as it seems to spread more than its apparent volume, although its actual volume is hard to see as we only get a 2D view, but by thinning its mass it can increase its area.
Thank you for taking me on this journey, ever since I subscribed I have not been able to satiate my craving for your videos. I can honestly say they are the most interesting and relaxing videos that come into my feed. I just wish I could support you with a donation, for now however, a simple share must suffice.
This channel is like a fresh breeze blowing through the desolate and shallow landscape of UA-cam. I am waiting with utter excitement for the next episode. The Microcosmos really is of a rare beauty. Thanks fir sharing it with us.
I love this channel. It is an escape into wonder, and and invitation to ponder at the complexity of our biological world - even at such small scales. These are our building blocks, offshoots of our very early progenitors. The most incredible thing I learned in Neuroscience was that early human fetus developments look like transitioning through other, ancestral species to mankind. It's humbling and incredibly informative at the same time.
This series have made me understand how cancer occurs and why. I am not a medical expert but I have read a lot about DNA, life, simply put. Your effort is greatly appreciated. You have enlightened me in the greatest way possible. Thank you guys and your sponsors of course!
Could you do an episode on Gastrotrichs? I recently saw one in some pond water and it was an amazing find. I took pictures under high power, and they turned out really well.
@@Nae_Ayy the Alpha Part wasnt because i was a pack leader, i was a kid and i thought it sounded cool, will have to eventualy change it Maybe to "Some Amoeba in your Glass" or idk
It's so pleasantly weird when the video zooms out, and you simultaneously lose focus on what you were looking at and immediately see something else coming into focus you didn't notice before.
I really love that you guys use Andrew's work as the soothing atmosphere for these videos. It adds a whole new degree to these videos that I never thought necessary until I heard it. There should be more ambient science videos like these. They're very nice to watch after coming home from work.
fun fact! N. Fowleri isn't even an amoeba, it's flagellate with an ameboid form; however fellow brain (and eye, for one of them at least) eaters Acathamoeba and Ballamuthia mandrillaris ARE amoebas. There's also Sappinia diploidea, but the only reported case wasn't a fatality so who cares.
I think the main point here is that even tiny life is immensely more complex than most folks give it credit for having. Great video, one of my faves, so far.
I wish your videos were longer! I absolutely love the structure and the narration is top notch! I would like to see some longer videos on certain things. I don't have anything specific in mind and I'm not suggesting every video be long. Perhaps one here or there on really interesting topics. Your production is amazing and I would love more in depth coverage.
"Our bodies, after all, are built out of the lessons that nature learned with them." This kind of statement drives me crazy; it reveals a fundamental misunderstanding of evolution. The amoebas we look at under microscopes today aren't some kind of evolutionary "throwback". They may be less complex, but they are our evolutionary siblings, not ancestors. They are every bit as evolved as we are.
Erica Rettig They are both our siblings AND our ancestors. Likewise, our symbionts AND our parasites. Evolution is better characterized as a Web than a Tree. It has taken a marvelously long, winding, circuitous path. This continues.
@@bjornolson6527 They aren't our ancestors in any manner, not even metaphorical. They are our cousins. We share a common ancestor. THAT ancestor had less time to evolve than we both have, but all current amoebas existing today have had the exact same amount of time to evolve as we have. You could in fact argue that they've had *more* time to evolve relative to humans because of their significantly shorter generation time.
Erica Rettig Your assertion implies that this “common ancestor” no longer exists.(?) At some points in time, an off-shoot with a mutated genome found a niche in the ecology, and continued apace of the original. This allows the concept I put forth. Subsequently, further intermingling and more random mutations occur resulting in the variety of life we have today. opentreeoflife.org Homo Sapiens and Phylum Amoebae are both eukaryotic organisms.
Who’s to say the ones we’re looking at now aren’t genetically identical to the (an) off-shoot that resulted in primates? They simply “found their niche” really early. If it’s working for them, and didn’t get wiped out by some competitor or environmental change they couldn’t handle... Theory of evolution allows the POSSIBILITY (and mechanism) for species development/differentiation. It doesn’t mandate change.
I have a video request. I want you to talk about the micro marvel that is the bacterial flagellum. It is not connected to the bacteria and still lives. My friend is into speculative biology and has designed a creature with helicopter-like blades on its serpentine body. Not attached, like the flagellum. She looked up the issues and believes she has solutions to a few. To make them spin, this creature creates electricity. Lubrication liquids greatly cut down on friction. And the spinny parts reconnect to the rest of the body periodically so they can be resupplied.
Speaking of speculative biology, this reminds me of a section in the book “The Risen Empire” where some microscopic surveillance drones have to sneak passed countermeasures that take the form of microscopic cyborg organisms sprayed out of a can by humanoid cyborg commandos. The organisms are described as having a sluggish propeller keeping them in the air, a simple “arm” to grab and weigh down adversaries, and sensory hairs. Closer to their target, the drones find larger organisms that have multiple propellers and multiple arms, as well as more dense and more advanced sensory organs. The organisms are designed via directed evolution and thus change rapidly, so no two cans of the things are exactly alike same.
Brilliant channel. Have loved every single vid. Thank you so much. Excellent soundtracks and Hank is mellow, not shouty. Thank you James for such a visually delicious feast.
You asked about the cell that lacks mitochondria. I cannot answer why not having mitochondria may be advantageous. However, I run evolutionary algorithms and study the evolutionary process as a form of unconstrained optimization. I can tell you that there may not actually be an evolutionary advantage to not having a mitochondria. It is possible that the species exists simply because the mutation wasn't bad enough to make it go extinct. The natural selection process is high-dimensional and highly nonlinear (math speak), meaning that it cannot be described accurately by phrases such as, "survival of the fittest"
ive been watching these videos for 1 and a half hours and after contemplating buying one, i just ordered a 20x-2000x microscope for 400 dollars, wish me luck on my purchase boys, here i come microcosmos!
Gave myself a high five when I knew it was an Ameoba before it came up in the corner. I'm finding these videos TOO full of info in many ways. Too many new names and then classifications are a bit overwhelming at times and I feel its hindering my learning. I hope that eventually this channel will have individual creature videos so we can see just one species and get to know that better. If this doesn't happen however I am more than happy to take what I can get because this is THE best channel I've seen for a loooong time.
my first encounter with the concept of an amoeba was from a babymouse comic that i got from the school library. that was one of my favorites. i remember that book was colored partially in green when babymouse comics usually only used pink.
I love this channel, the journeys are educative and relaxing at the same time. Just a little idea: have you considered putting a bar scale into the corner, in addition to magnification? Maybe it would help to imagine how big the cells are, more than the magnification (and it would be independent of screen resolution). Anyway thanks a lot, continue great work! :)
Pelomyxa's an interesting one. They clearly have some ability to tolerate oxygen, but they're anaerobic. They do have organelles called hydrogenosomes that are derived from mitochondria, so they haven't lost them completely. Another odd thing about them is their flagella. They're short, rigid little things that don't beat, and have highly irregular arrangements of microtubules, even within the same cell.
@@carissstewart3211 they're also pretty much immortal as any amoeba is indistinguishable from it's descendants, because when they divide there's no longer an original, but one being that turned into two. So what I'm trying to say is that even if they appear much more fragile than us with our multicellular might, they're kinda a lot tougher.
I almost spit out my soup when Amoeba Records came up because I was already thinking about that store when I clicked on the video. I've always felt like amoebas are the cool kids of the microscopic realm for that reason hahaha
I just discovered this channel, and I'm instantly a subscriber! Excellent content! Also, if I ever need a voice actor for a cat, this narrator is my first choice.
Love the channel so much! So I hate to quibble, but when a word I know amid the tens of thousands I don't is mispronounced I feel I must cry out, or clack out anyway. I knew Marc Weinstein of Amoebe Music when he was a manager at a SF record shop down the street from the one I managed at the time. His name is pronounced Wine-STINE. The syllables rhyme. Don't know why this German syllable (meaning "stone") is so often pronounced wrong. We say Franken-Stine, not Steen. We call it a Stine of beer. Google a video interview with Marc and you'll hear him say it correctly. Afterward, keep making more of these incredible videos. They're gorgeous and fascinating and the music is perfect, Mr. Huang.
A Pelomyxa may not need mitochondria if it finds another way to obtain energy or the energy consumption is so low that it can be created and expended simultaneously and independently.
Im a total noob to microbiology so Im really curious to know how exactly these organisms move and what powers that movement, is it just a result of chemical reactions or is there more to it? and what triggers it?
Amoeba Records moved 3 blocks from Sunset to Hollywood Boulevard during the covid. About a block east of Vine. There was a giant amoeba in space in Star Trek, TOS.
I doubt they are better off because they lost their mitochondria, it's probably so that their ancestor just lost it by accident, yet it's descendants still managed to survive, but didn't manage to get a new mitochondria.
"Our bodies, after all, are built out of the lessons that nature learned with them."
that was a dope-ass line you just casually threw down at the end there my dude
Kind of wrong tho
@@end.olives How so?
This guy takes himself too seriously. Just show the footage and give us the information, I don't care about him trying to sound deep or some shit.
@@greg77389 This channel is probably like a hobby for Hank, meaning they talk about their observations in the microcosmos and their thoughts on these observations. I don't mind the musing parts, and the same probably goes for most other people watching this. Just leave a dislike and move on.
@@greg77389
I’m guessing you are a creationist that is butthurt about evolution showing up in random videos about nature.
“Don’t worry it only eats algae and fungi” tell that to the algae peacefully providing another cell with food
@CFox hehe
Trick for imaging things that are too thick/break when a coverslip is applied:
Cut a coverslip into 4 thin glass strips (diamond knife is useful, but it goes not necessarily need to be super precise). Glue a stack of 2 glass strips on each side of a slide (these serve as spacers). Apply sample in the middle. Place intact coverslip on top (resting on top of the spacers).
If your sample still gets crushed, glue on additional spacers on top of the others. This is how zebrafish embryos are imaged.
+
Would it perhaps be simpler to put 4 dots of superglue as a riser placed on the 4 corners, let it dry, and just ensure you put it dots-side inward?
they make slides with wells you put the cover over.
@@mixiekins I still want to know
@@teyton90 We do basically the same thing to look at sea urchin eggs/larvae, but we use just drag the four corners of the coverslip through clay to put clay "feet" on it. This has the advantage of letting you press the coverslip gently down if you wish to get it a bit closer to the slide
"There's no mytochondria powering the cell" made me laugh
Mitochondria* And why did that made you laugh?
@@ArchangelExile because it's the powerhouse of the cell
*the powerhouse of the cell*
@@flightlesschicken7769 the powerhouse of some cells, not all.
There is literally nothing funny about this.
*Pseudopodias are overrated. Wheel bearing mouth-parts are all the rage now.*
There is a clear bias on the commenter
I detect a “spin” in this editorial comment.
I love the profile pic
Rotifer Is this a meme now? Cause i like it
Don't worry Rotifer - I love Amoebas and Tardigrades, but you'll always be my favorite!
(honestly, I approve of this comment ! I saw the comment before I noticed the username, and woke my housemate up laughing after I realized)
I love this channel, this is like something I would have watched if this was on TV when I was a kid
agreed 😁
I *strongly* recommend watching this, in pajamas, while eating a bowl of cereal. :)
Ride that nostalgia!
YES, agreed👍
Thats a boring childhood
Have to agree. There are a million nature programmes on telly and not a fuckin one about microbes. Its a shame, they really are amazing.
7:50 *- Yup, that's me. You're probably wondering how I ended up in this situation.*
**record scratch**
@Diogenes TheDog it`s because they are all actors
@@JosiasFerreira1995 In on the conzpirazy!!!
Paid by big farma to sell vaxeenz to giv autizm!
/s
*Baba O'Riley starts playing*
The heliozoan was a paid actor
"Primitive..." it's worth remembering that _everything_ we can see today has been evolving for 4 billion years or so, even the most 'primitive' organisms. It's no wonder that even the simplest organisms most similar to their ancient ancestors have developed some fascinating complexity.
This is a *severely* underrated channel. Brilliantly narrated and written, and who can argue against how awesome the visuals of the microcosmos are.
Thank you for the fantastic content
I wouldnt say its underrated, actually. It's still a fairly new channel that has very quickly developed a large cult following, and is still growing wonderfully. It truly is a genius channel and it's definitely recognized for that.
It's not underrated at all. If you want an underrated one, check out "My Microscopic World". Narration is so-so there, but the footage is stunning.
I have to say not since Carl Sagan have I enjoyed the sound of a science narrative as much as I do hearing your style and voice Hank.
Makes me very nostalgic for the original Cosmos episodes.
If you do a search here on UA-cam, you can find all the original episodes of cosmos. Man, that first episode in particular blew my mind. Sagan could explain complex things to the lay person better than any other science communicator I know of.
I completely agree.
The one dislike is a rotipher being slowly eaten by a heliozoan.
14
16 rotiphers are now dead
35
RotiFer*
40
"Our bodies, after all, are build with the lessons that nature learned with them"
What a lovely sentence.
Agreed!
I was just thinking about how beautifully simple yet profound it was. Wonderfully spoken.
it sounds profound... but really it's just a sneaky anthropomorphism of Nature into some sort of conscious gaia-type being. as far as we can tell, nature does not intentionally "learn" any "lessons", it just stores mutations in DNA and lets natural selection do its thing.
More how we learned from ourselves! We were them once.
@@alveolate Yes, but we can term that chemical selection of genes and their propagation as part of 'Nature' too. You cant limit or define 'Nature' as storing mutations but label their selection and propagation into species as 'Not Nature'. Its just a catch all term for a complicated underlying reality
I have a fun story about amoebas. Back when I had my first microscope around age 12, I started to get serious about culturing protozoans. My scope was just a cheap piece of crap Tasco, but it could do protozoa just fine, so I did a lot of pond, ditch and creek water samples, cataloguing everything I could find. Ever voracious for more and more to see, I decided to experiment with culturing by first taking a sample of water and then adding broth to it and seeing what would happen over several days. My nightmares awoke fully in me after I mixed some beef bouillon to a quart jar pond water sample and leaving it loosely covered in our barn in summer. I would go out every day, make a slide from the jar and observe on site, using sunlight with the microscope's mirror for illumination. Eventually, the jar took on the smell of dirty socks. One day, I stood there in the barn, squinting to see, and noting that nothing was visibly moving nor alive. BUT, I did notice a strange sort of speckle appearance to the entire sample, and it seemed to glisten strangely. Whatever it was, it was _tiny,_ at the limits of the microscope, and seemed to be _moving._ I upped the power all the way, got the best light I could, and tried again. Carefully focusing, I finally got it, and was horror struck to note not a few, not dozens, but hundreds, perhaps thousands of tiny, tiny amoebas slowly oozing around the sample. At the time, my mom was taking college courses for her RN license, and I was constantly reading her medical books, which often included graphic photos of various diseases. In one illustration, amoebas had infected a patient's intestines, which then breached their liver, diaphraham and infected the lung as well on a path of rampant destruction. There I stood in the barn, and it all clicked hard in my head - the smell of dirty socks meant at least _something_ was getting in the air from a jar full of amoebas scarcely bigger than red blood cells, and I was breathing that something in. I did a quick sketch of what I saw, then immediately dumped the jar and vigorously washed my hands, fearing that I would die of amoebic dysentery any day, lol. I also stopped the beef broth experiments entirely, despite that they had so often provided such amazing results.
Now that I have a vastly better microscope setup, I really wish I had a sample of those tiny, tiny guys. I've seen plenty of common amoebas with it, but those were definitely something more interesting.
My first microscope is at age 7 :D
Amoebas are airborne?
@@rhetoric5173 Umm, no. Did I say they were?
@@rhetoric5173 Might have to actually make an exception for certain cases though, pending further research on the subject. For now, here's this:
Balamuthia Mandrillaris
Balamuthia is found in the soil. While exposure is common, infection is very rare. Only about 200 cases of Balamuthia have been reported worldwide. It's thought that infection begins by the amoeba invading the skin or by inhaling airborne cysts through the mouth or nose. Symptoms are very similar to Acanthamoeba infection.8 Diagnosis is difficult and appropriate treatment uncertain, although the investigational drug miltefosine along with other antifungal and antibiotics may be used.7
Yeah I wouldn’t culture with broth outside a lab. Too many bacteria and could end up awakening something best left dormant.
If there are awards for perfectly made yt video, this channel should get em for all of these series... Graphics, background music, narrative voice and dynamic...all perfect. Length of video long enough to teach you and relax you, short enough not to put you to sleep. Respect.
I love amoebas. They're the first thing I ever remember researching outside of school on my own volition. Thanks for taking the time to make these. I didn't even realize it was Hank narrating these until I'd seen 5 or 6 of them.
Amoebae are cool little buggers. I was first drawn to them by an ancient game called CellCraft. Those were good times.
I was curious thanks to the Powrpuff Girls, of all things. (Three of the oldest villains are a gang of human-sized amoebas.) Same goes for gangreen.
You lost me in the first minute when I realized that I didn't know nearly enough about brain eating amoebas. And now I know WAY TOO MUCH about brain eating amoebas. Thanks, Hank...
Hey ive been a fan of this channel for a while and i just wanted to say keep it up! I love your work!
I think the reason I absolutely love this channel is (other than the incredibly soothing voice and music) is the fact that they are more than willing to admit what we don’t know, even asking people to go figure out stuff, and because of this, because they show all the cool things we know as well as the countless multitude of stuff still to discover. It just fills me with curiosity and keeps me hooked.
Absolutely love this channel, never change.
To avoid crushing samples, buy some of those glass spacer rings or rectangles which are made for protecting fragile microscopic organisms. Alternatively, a ring of lacquer or gum can be used: Paint the ring, allow it to become almost dry, add the sample, and then the cover slip.
"Our bodies, after all, are built out of the lessons that nature learned with them."
Such a powerful statement!!!!
This has to be the cutest channel. And Hank's sleepy voice hits just right.
I love that the advert algorithm has no idea how to classify these videos, i keep getting adverts for biochemical lab equipment and other random similar stuff!
8:17 Might it be better to ask "if they are better off" without mitochondria? Evolution tends to get better, but that's a trend, not a constant :)
Fascinating hypothesis, which is probably right, however!
Given that life needs energy to sustain its order .. anything which can provide it will almost always be a benefit. In their case, maybe its their inner bacterial flora that may provide some energy source/system that is sufficient enough that they didnt have the need to keep mitochondria incorporated too.
Mitochondria do play a role in cell death in our bodies. If they lyse, the cell is usually doomed to die too from the chemicals they release. Maybe amoebas were better off in some specific aspect of the evolutionary barter trade system. Fascinating indeed!
Who knows if they're better off or not. Things happen and it's chaotic and random. That amoeba might've lost its mitochondria somehow, and managed to survive because of some other event or circumstance, and went on to reproduce and start a new species, but that doesn't mean it's better off. Life isn't about making choices to be better off, it's about surviving the bad things that sometimes happen just long enough to reproduce.
There are plenty of examples where "losing" stuff is advantageous, like vestigial features. Birds "lost" their teeth, which was advantageous because that reduced incubation times where both eggs and parents are at risk.
@@andybeans5790 sort of... we have tens of thousands of genes, so it's more of 'what happened and how' and not 'why'.
Are your earlobes attached? Do you have morton's toe? are you right or left-handed? Are you lactose in/tolerant? Do you have the tendon visible when you bring your thumb to middle finger tip? Do you have murderer's thumb?
It's all situational and circumstantial, so that's why it's a good practice to ask *if* because we don't want to get used to the idea that genetic mutations are necessarily advantageous. :)
@@TragoudistrosMPH mutation is only one aspect of evolution, natural selection is all about _advantageous_ traits.
This is without question one of the most interesting series on this platform; that deserves a full length documentary series.
Amoeba have a "movement by flow" that I find hard to understand, it's fascinating to watch.
It's pretty simple at the heart of it. Just think of a water balloon. If you squeeze one part of it, the water pressure decreases in that part and it gets smaller. While the other end will see a rise in pressure and bulge outwards. If you imagine it has a sticky coating on it, it's not a huge leap to see how it could move along by sticking the bulging bit to the ground while releasing the bit that's being squeezed from the ground. Amoebas just have more control over this squeezing and bulging mechanism, so they can squeeze or bulge specific parts of themselves.
So, I'm not a biologist but from my understanding they use microtubules to extend their cell membrane in the direction they want to, then push their cytoplasm into that extension. Then the rest of the cell follows. But I'd recommend googling for more accurate information.
@@Ryan-tz7sx wait, .....!!! WAIT ONE DAMN SECOND! Someone on the internet, someone on UA-cam, admitting they're not an expert in something?!?!?!? Ladies and gentlemen... this is... this is monumental... we are witnessing history in the making! QUICKLY, GET THIS MAN A MEDAL OR SOMETHING! : D : ) Man it's so refreshing seeing someone admit they dont know everything!
@YamFestival OK, viscosity, makes sense as it seems to spread more than its apparent volume, although its actual volume is hard to see as we only get a 2D view, but by thinning its mass it can increase its area.
This series is amazing. A realm of science I never knew I loved.
This is the most relaxing channel on UA-cam
The tone, pace, phrasing, and everything else about the narration is luxurious. The videography is mesmerizing. Thank you!
Pelomyxa losing mitochondria after previously having it is now going to haunt me in my dreams if I don’t research this topic. This is mind-blowing.
Thank you for taking me on this journey, ever since I subscribed I have not been able to satiate my craving for your videos. I can honestly say they are the most interesting and relaxing videos that come into my feed. I just wish I could support you with a donation, for now however, a simple share must suffice.
This channel is like a fresh breeze blowing through the desolate and shallow landscape of UA-cam. I am waiting with utter excitement for the next episode. The Microcosmos really is of a rare beauty. Thanks fir sharing it with us.
I love this channel. It is an escape into wonder, and and invitation to ponder at the complexity of our biological world - even at such small scales. These are our building blocks, offshoots of our very early progenitors. The most incredible thing I learned in Neuroscience was that early human fetus developments look like transitioning through other, ancestral species to mankind. It's humbling and incredibly informative at the same time.
This series have made me understand how cancer occurs and why. I am not a medical expert but I have read a lot about DNA, life, simply put. Your effort is greatly appreciated. You have enlightened me in the greatest way possible. Thank you guys and your sponsors of course!
Cancer is just cellular capitalism.
I must say that, the content, writing, sound design keeps improving exponentially on this channel!
Please never stop!
Could you do an episode on Gastrotrichs? I recently saw one in some pond water and it was an amazing find. I took pictures under high power, and they turned out really well.
So glad that this channel is here. It's soothing, fascinating, groovy, all at once.
I would love the Journey to the Microcosmos to come up with a recommended reading list. Like having a book club centered on microbiology.
That blue background with the green cells is sooo relaxing, almost hipnotic.
The amount of subs you have doesnt do justice to the quality of your content. Amazing guys.
Funnily enough these so-called Brain-Eating "Amoebas" are not an Amoeba species
You guys better listen to this guy, he knows everything about amoebas, being a pack leader and all.
@@Nae_Ayy the Alpha Part wasnt because i was a pack leader, i was a kid and i thought it sounded cool, will have to eventualy change it
Maybe to "Some Amoeba in your Glass" or idk
@@alphaamoeba it was a joke lol
Closer related to euglena than amoebas.
@@alphaamoeba dude keep the name
Always look forward to Mondays and Tuesdays for this it's the best thing ever
one of your best episodes especially with that intro about the literary references to amoeba. So good man
It's so pleasantly weird when the video zooms out, and you simultaneously lose focus on what you were looking at and immediately see something else coming into focus you didn't notice before.
Heh, I work in a lab that tests for N. fowleri in drinking water! Nice to see this mentioned :)
I really love that you guys use Andrew's work as the soothing atmosphere for these videos. It adds a whole new degree to these videos that I never thought necessary until I heard it. There should be more ambient science videos like these. They're very nice to watch after coming home from work.
The tone and cadence of your voice is perfect for narrating ....peace out
fun fact! N. Fowleri isn't even an amoeba, it's flagellate with an ameboid form; however fellow brain (and eye, for one of them at least) eaters Acathamoeba and Ballamuthia mandrillaris ARE amoebas.
There's also Sappinia diploidea, but the only reported case wasn't a fatality so who cares.
Yeah they fucked this one up - NF is more related to euglena and the trypanosomes - they should have said Balamuthia instead
8:30 you just gave me an idea for my thesis
Hope you do it! We want to hear what you discover!
Soo, how is it going?
I think the main point here is that even tiny life is immensely more complex than most folks give it credit for having. Great video, one of my faves, so far.
I wish your videos were longer! I absolutely love the structure and the narration is top notch!
I would like to see some longer videos on certain things. I don't have anything specific in mind and I'm not suggesting every video be long. Perhaps one here or there on really interesting topics. Your production is amazing and I would love more in depth coverage.
"Our bodies, after all, are built out of the lessons that nature learned with them."
This kind of statement drives me crazy; it reveals a fundamental misunderstanding of evolution. The amoebas we look at under microscopes today aren't some kind of evolutionary "throwback". They may be less complex, but they are our evolutionary siblings, not ancestors. They are every bit as evolved as we are.
Their bodies are also built out of the lessons that nature learned with them.
Erica Rettig They are both our siblings AND our ancestors. Likewise, our symbionts AND our parasites. Evolution is better characterized as a Web than a Tree. It has taken a marvelously long, winding, circuitous path. This continues.
@@bjornolson6527 They aren't our ancestors in any manner, not even metaphorical. They are our cousins.
We share a common ancestor. THAT ancestor had less time to evolve than we both have, but all current amoebas existing today have had the exact same amount of time to evolve as we have. You could in fact argue that they've had *more* time to evolve relative to humans because of their significantly shorter generation time.
Erica Rettig Your assertion implies that this “common ancestor” no longer exists.(?) At some points in time, an off-shoot with a mutated genome found a niche in the ecology, and continued apace of the original. This allows the concept I put forth. Subsequently, further intermingling and more random mutations occur resulting in the variety of life we have today. opentreeoflife.org Homo Sapiens and Phylum Amoebae are both eukaryotic organisms.
Who’s to say the ones we’re looking at now aren’t genetically identical to the (an) off-shoot that resulted in primates? They simply “found their niche” really early. If it’s working for them, and didn’t get wiped out by some competitor or environmental change they couldn’t handle... Theory of evolution allows the POSSIBILITY (and mechanism) for species development/differentiation. It doesn’t mandate change.
Classy af Hank. Keep it up.
I have a video request. I want you to talk about the micro marvel that is the bacterial flagellum. It is not connected to the bacteria and still lives.
My friend is into speculative biology and has designed a creature with helicopter-like blades on its serpentine body. Not attached, like the flagellum. She looked up the issues and believes she has solutions to a few. To make them spin, this creature creates electricity. Lubrication liquids greatly cut down on friction. And the spinny parts reconnect to the rest of the body periodically so they can be resupplied.
I don’t know if James has the equipment to get good images of (most) bacteria.
Speaking of speculative biology, this reminds me of a section in the book “The Risen Empire” where some microscopic surveillance drones have to sneak passed countermeasures that take the form of microscopic cyborg organisms sprayed out of a can by humanoid cyborg commandos.
The organisms are described as having a sluggish propeller keeping them in the air, a simple “arm” to grab and weigh down adversaries, and sensory hairs.
Closer to their target, the drones find larger organisms that have multiple propellers and multiple arms, as well as more dense and more advanced sensory organs.
The organisms are designed via directed evolution and thus change rapidly, so no two cans of the things are exactly alike same.
This is legit the most underrated UA-cam channel?? Like I’d expect the channel to have 2 million subs 😳
Brilliant channel. Have loved every single vid. Thank you so much. Excellent soundtracks and Hank is mellow, not shouty. Thank you James for such a visually delicious feast.
You asked about the cell that lacks mitochondria. I cannot answer why not having mitochondria may be advantageous. However, I run evolutionary algorithms and study the evolutionary process as a form of unconstrained optimization. I can tell you that there may not actually be an evolutionary advantage to not having a mitochondria. It is possible that the species exists simply because the mutation wasn't bad enough to make it go extinct. The natural selection process is high-dimensional and highly nonlinear (math speak), meaning that it cannot be described accurately by phrases such as, "survival of the fittest"
ive been watching these videos for 1 and a half hours and after contemplating buying one, i just ordered a 20x-2000x microscope for 400 dollars, wish me luck on my purchase boys, here i come microcosmos!
Best channel ever
It express the love for discovering and the feeling of wonder that classic documentaries expressed when we had them on TV
Thank you!
Compared to Hank's usual enthusiasm he seems sedated in these ones :) .
And,,,, this is an awesome channel.
Gave myself a high five when I knew it was an Ameoba before it came up in the corner.
I'm finding these videos TOO full of info in many ways. Too many new names and then classifications are a bit overwhelming at times and I feel its hindering my learning. I hope that eventually this channel will have individual creature videos so we can see just one species and get to know that better. If this doesn't happen however I am more than happy to take what I can get because this is THE best channel I've seen for a loooong time.
Hank's voice is smooth as butter in this video
my first encounter with the concept of an amoeba was from a babymouse comic that i got from the school library. that was one of my favorites. i remember that book was colored partially in green when babymouse comics usually only used pink.
I like watching this sort of stuff while i take a nap. I get some crazy dreams sometimes.
Thanks, have fun and stay safe.
Mr. Tardigrade is a supporter of this show. He must be doing very well for himself.
Im loving this series so much. Thank you for it.
Will they be doing one focusing on archaea?
Too small to see without SEM
I love this channel, the journeys are educative and relaxing at the same time.
Just a little idea: have you considered putting a bar scale into the corner, in addition to magnification? Maybe it would help to imagine how big the cells are, more than the magnification (and it would be independent of screen resolution). Anyway thanks a lot, continue great work! :)
This channel is surprisingly very effective to help me sleep.
And I can learn something at the same time! (at least before I fell asleep)
This channel makes Mondays bearable!
"In terms of size, amoebas can range from microns to centimetres"
Wait WHAT
I just had a science class where we observed pond water. I SAW SO MUCH
Like other PBS channels such as Spacetime, this is an oasis of intelligent and interested commenters.
This channel voices a poetry of science and it is beautiful
BEST YT CHANNEL OUT THERE 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
Hank Green is like scientific Mr. Rogers- so calming and friendly, but could explain anything to you.
Kind of funny his last name is Green considering he spends so much of his time literally looking at what makes plants green.
Pelomyxa's an interesting one. They clearly have some ability to tolerate oxygen, but they're anaerobic. They do have organelles called hydrogenosomes that are derived from mitochondria, so they haven't lost them completely. Another odd thing about them is their flagella. They're short, rigid little things that don't beat, and have highly irregular arrangements of microtubules, even within the same cell.
Tardigrades and hydras and stentors!
Oh my!
My knowledge of amoebas was several decades out of date, it seems.
Mine too, it's been 25 years since my A-level biology lessons
Your voice is soothing but it doesn't put me to sleep and keep me spiked and interested I love it!
I love how casual talk about brain eating creatures
Make "how we shoot" video, please 🙏
I second this.
Hmmm, interesting.
Wouldn't want to be one though.
I wish I was a simple-minded unicellular blob that didn't have to worry about school or social interactions.
@@pigeonfowl474 On the other hand, the amoeba has a slightly higher risk of being smushed by a piece of lab equipment.
@@carissstewart3211 at least scientists pay attention to them
@@carissstewart3211 they're also pretty much immortal as any amoeba is indistinguishable from it's descendants, because when they divide there's no longer an original, but one being that turned into two.
So what I'm trying to say is that even if they appear much more fragile than us with our multicellular might, they're kinda a lot tougher.
@@wilddogspam That's like saying that humans are very strong because if you kill a guy, his kids are still alive.
I almost spit out my soup when Amoeba Records came up because I was already thinking about that store when I clicked on the video. I've always felt like amoebas are the cool kids of the microscopic realm for that reason hahaha
Picked the right month for this one.. * tips an imaginary hat *
Keep up the Great work Hank and the Team!
Wow, I love this channel so much!
I've always wondered what amoebas are exactly, and their behaviors and what they eat exesdra.
I just discovered this channel, and I'm instantly a subscriber! Excellent content!
Also, if I ever need a voice actor for a cat, this narrator is my first choice.
Love the channel so much! So I hate to quibble, but when a word I know amid the tens of thousands I don't is mispronounced I feel I must cry out, or clack out anyway. I knew Marc Weinstein of Amoebe Music when he was a manager at a SF record shop down the street from the one I managed at the time. His name is pronounced Wine-STINE. The syllables rhyme. Don't know why this German syllable (meaning "stone") is so often pronounced wrong. We say Franken-Stine, not Steen. We call it a Stine of beer. Google a video interview with Marc and you'll hear him say it correctly. Afterward, keep making more of these incredible videos. They're gorgeous and fascinating and the music is perfect, Mr. Huang.
A Pelomyxa may not need mitochondria if it finds another way to obtain energy or the energy consumption is so low that it can be created and expended simultaneously and independently.
I'm so chilled out after watching this.
2:45 Just as it gets exciting, you jump to the next slide; do you have extended footage?
Im a total noob to microbiology so Im really curious to know how exactly these organisms move and what powers that movement, is it just a result of chemical reactions or is there more to it? and what triggers it?
4:47 Is it still a Eukaryotic?
Amoeba Records moved 3 blocks from Sunset to Hollywood Boulevard during the covid. About a block east of Vine. There was a giant amoeba in space in Star Trek, TOS.
I doubt they are better off because they lost their mitochondria, it's probably so that their ancestor just lost it by accident, yet it's descendants still managed to survive, but didn't manage to get a new mitochondria.
this is the most satisfying series ive ever seen
I had no idea the commentator/writer for this show was Hank Green from Scishow...
Finally, a cell where the mitochondria is NOT the powerhouse of the cell.
You describe music so well! 😉
I like how I got a ad about thawing cells before the video.