CORRECTION: In the video I stated that it is not worth trying to count sperm at home. After digging more into the WHO Sperm Analysis Document, there is in fact a procedure to estimate sperm count that is straightforward and does not require specialized counting chambers. This procedure can definitely be done at home. I am writing a blog article describing how to do this now, and will release a video on it in the future.
Agreed! Darkfield filters also work, however I've found that because the specimens do not strongly scatter light, you need a very bright transmitted light source to make this work. A 3W LED that is found on most consumer microscopes is too dim to get a meaningful image. Also the heads will show up much brighter than the flagella, and so if you are using a camera to image the specimens it is hard to have both the head and flagella properly exposed without blowing out the image. Advice to anybody trying to use darkfield to image sperm - use a darkfield filter with an NA stop just above the NA of the objective so that you are maximizing the oblique light that hits the sample. If you are using a camera you may need to manually adjust the exposure to account for the dark sample.
A phone microscope will not have a high enough magnification nor the necessary illumination setup to observe sperm. See the what microscopes can see sperm video for more details
4:41 ""pretty easy to tell what sperm is and what's not sperm.." in the foreground we see a sperm.. but in the backgroud we see round cells moving.. are those also sperm out of focus?
Good question! No, those are likely just particles that are moving due to brownian motion (not necessarily alive). Sperm cells should all be roughly the same size and, unless they are greatly malformed, will have a flagella (the tail).
Sure thing. I agree, a sperm kit is probably not the ideal gift for your daughter! I don't know what your budget or age of your daughter is but I'll throw out the Carson Microbrite has been a favorite of ours recently. Check out my general microscope recommendation videos or you can wait for a couple of weeks when we release our 2024 recommendations
It all depend of her age. At 5-11 years, a stereomicroscope is by far a better choice than a compound microscope. Maybe even consider a cheap 10-15$ usb microscope or a lens to put on your phone. Then, if she is older, the stereomicroscope is still an amazing idea (3D image, no sample preparation). But you might consider a SWIFT350 or equivalent. With a proper condenser Abbe 1.25, mechanical stage (instead of basic clip) and binocular eyepiece for comfortable observations. Please don't buy a cheap USB dedicated camera, instead, find a decent phone adapter to get a direct image on the eyepiece (without removing the eyepiece). And look some video like micro-safari or MicrobeHunter to know more before you buy. Have a nice day!
@@soorpilfishing "Good quality microscope" is very relative. You can find good microscope from 122$ to 122,000$ and even more! But seriously, what are your needs? How old is your daughter? What is her (and your) experience with microscope or insect or science in general? You think she will enjoy doing her own slide preparation and advance/complex manipulation? Or she will prefer looking at pre-made slide and sample without any complex preparation? What is your maximum budget? Around 20$ 200$ 2000$ ? What country do you live in? When do you want to buy it? Look under the description in this video. Micro_safari has a website and a bunch of very good video to help you select your microscope. You can also look at MicrobeHunter on UA-cam. He has video to help you find a great microscope for a child. He also do live session each Saturday and you can ask any questions in the live chat! You can already start collecting sample before it's too cold outside. For stereomicroscope, find various flower, plants, insects and put them between pages of an old book to let them dry. Find some small rock. For a compound microscope: collect water+sediment in your local pond/lake/slow moving river nearby in a glass jar. Try to find different kind of decomposing vegetation. Get another jar with moss from the forest. You can keep theses sample for many years. Just let the lid half open, not in direct light, not in the dark. Don't need to feed your micro-pets! Just make sure you have about 1/2 of sediment and old mushy leaves, not just water. I've got my SWIFT380B for 203$ Canadian (150$ us) on Amazon (new/open box, shipping next day). But I've also found the same model at 600-800$ at other places. There is a lot of price variation for similar item.
I am a new beginner in the Biologist studies to become a Degree biologist in (4) four years,i have purchased a telescope 40x - 1000x just to get to know biology more oneday i am going to purchase this one you are introducing just to use it for soil cool kit just watching feels like we are in a Hand-on-hands lab.
It could be a couple of reasons: 1. Our filming studio is in a warehouse that gets quite cold in the winters. I remember it being about 40degF that day. Not the ideal environment for sperm to be the most active! 2. When you do a sperm count test in a lab, they have you wait 7 days since your last ejaculation, which is when your sperm count/count of motile sperm will be approximately the highest (and for consistency between patients). Let's just say that we were filming back to back to back sperm related videos that day and the days prior, and this was the last video we filmed ;)
It's the USB eyepiece camera that we include in the Sperm Observation Kit and in the Horizons Lite Kit. It happens to have really good edge detection which is why we included it in the Sperm Kit. Basically any microscope camera will work better for this than your eye by themselves. If you are looking to build out a kit to view sperm specifically, I highly recommend you include a camera of some kind in your setup. Here's a link to the camera in the video: microsafari.org/collections/shop-all/products/usb-2-0-cmos-digital-eyepiece-microscope-camera
Could be a couple of reasons. The process of collecting and micropipetting the sample can sometimes kill the sperm cells. The office that I was doing this in was also really cold that day. I think in this sample I also opened up on a small bubble at first so the sperm were out of the liquid.
Depends on how many aren't moving. According to the World Health Organization, men can have up to 65% of the total sperm be not motile and still be considered "fertile". The assessing sperm motility section of the blog article I wrote will have your answers. It is most of the way down the page. microsafari.org/pages/the-comprehensive-diy-guide-to-assessing-male-fertility-at-home
It really depends on what the illumination method is more than the magnification. I made a blog article that should answer your question: microsafari.org/pages/what-kind-of-microscope-you-need-to-see-sperm
I purchased a AmScope to look at dog semen and I can't see anything. It has a WF25X eye piece and 100/1.25, 40/0.65, 10/0.25, and 4/0.10 lens. Sorry, I don't the technical terms. Should this microscope work for this? Or am I probably doing something wrong?
First, take your WF25X and throw it away (very bad image quality). Then, try to find the proper WF10x eyepiece that came with the scope. Follow the video, watch is few time, it cover all the important steps.
CORRECTION: In the video I stated that it is not worth trying to count sperm at home. After digging more into the WHO Sperm Analysis Document, there is in fact a procedure to estimate sperm count that is straightforward and does not require specialized counting chambers. This procedure can definitely be done at home. I am writing a blog article describing how to do this now, and will release a video on it in the future.
could you please make a step by step tutorial on how to obtain the samples
💀🤣
Exactly,first hand experience
please not
I’d like to see the footage of the sample being collected…. For science of course.
Lol😂
😂😂😂😂
i not
😂😂😂
Diddy will show you
WOW!!!! THANK YOU, FOR DOING THIS DEMONSTRATION,.... AND FOR YOUR DEDICATION TO "HARD SCIENCE"!! LOL!!!... GOOD TO KNOW!!!... I GOTTA TRY THIS!!!...
How do you know the magnification when using a camera and not an eyepiece?
I'd love to know this too, I'm a beginner and haven't found out how to work this out.
you can also use dark field filters
Agreed! Darkfield filters also work, however I've found that because the specimens do not strongly scatter light, you need a very bright transmitted light source to make this work. A 3W LED that is found on most consumer microscopes is too dim to get a meaningful image. Also the heads will show up much brighter than the flagella, and so if you are using a camera to image the specimens it is hard to have both the head and flagella properly exposed without blowing out the image.
Advice to anybody trying to use darkfield to image sperm - use a darkfield filter with an NA stop just above the NA of the objective so that you are maximizing the oblique light that hits the sample. If you are using a camera you may need to manually adjust the exposure to account for the dark sample.
my new favorite channel. can't wait to start playing with the Horizons bundle of wonders
Woo Hoo! Thank you Ronny, we are so excited for you to receive and start using your kit!
What are your thoughts of using eosin-nigrosin or other stain type for highlighting sperm?
To collect the sample, do we have to avoid using lotion in case of sample contamination?
Not a doctor, but in my experience (with other labs) they state to avoid saliva or lotion due to contamination.
I have an Amazon pocket microscope but idk if it’s strong enough to view something like this.
did you try?
A phone microscope will not have a high enough magnification nor the necessary illumination setup to observe sperm. See the what microscopes can see sperm video for more details
4:41 ""pretty easy to tell what sperm is and what's not sperm.." in the foreground we see a sperm.. but in the backgroud we see round cells moving.. are those also sperm out of focus?
Good question! No, those are likely just particles that are moving due to brownian motion (not necessarily alive). Sperm cells should all be roughly the same size and, unless they are greatly malformed, will have a flagella (the tail).
Staining not required?
I have a general microscope, can i observe it?
you can. it works even in a cheap (>150€) microscope, that has 4x, 10x and 40x magnification. i'd recommend 10x
@@kapa1611you mean 100x?
@@antgame11 i didn't include the eyepiece. honestly idk the magnification of my eyepiece xD i didn't read the instructions 🤣
@@kapa1611 I can't even see my sperm with 10x, I need to use 100x
Can you suggest me a better microscope to give a gift to my daughter....
Sure thing. I agree, a sperm kit is probably not the ideal gift for your daughter! I don't know what your budget or age of your daughter is but I'll throw out the Carson Microbrite has been a favorite of ours recently. Check out my general microscope recommendation videos or you can wait for a couple of weeks when we release our 2024 recommendations
It all depend of her age. At 5-11 years, a stereomicroscope is by far a better choice than a compound microscope. Maybe even consider a cheap 10-15$ usb microscope or a lens to put on your phone. Then, if she is older, the stereomicroscope is still an amazing idea (3D image, no sample preparation). But you might consider a SWIFT350 or equivalent. With a proper condenser Abbe 1.25, mechanical stage (instead of basic clip) and binocular eyepiece for comfortable observations. Please don't buy a cheap USB dedicated camera, instead, find a decent phone adapter to get a direct image on the eyepiece (without removing the eyepiece). And look some video like micro-safari or MicrobeHunter to know more before you buy.
Have a nice day!
@@alexandrevaliquette3883 thanks for your valuable information.....
Pls suggest any better site to find out good quality microscope
@@soorpilfishing "Good quality microscope" is very relative. You can find good microscope from 122$ to 122,000$ and even more!
But seriously, what are your needs? How old is your daughter? What is her (and your) experience with microscope or insect or science in general? You think she will enjoy doing her own slide preparation and advance/complex manipulation? Or she will prefer looking at pre-made slide and sample without any complex preparation?
What is your maximum budget? Around 20$ 200$ 2000$ ?
What country do you live in? When do you want to buy it?
Look under the description in this video. Micro_safari has a website and a bunch of very good video to help you select your microscope. You can also look at MicrobeHunter on UA-cam. He has video to help you find a great microscope for a child. He also do live session each Saturday and you can ask any questions in the live chat!
You can already start collecting sample before it's too cold outside. For stereomicroscope, find various flower, plants, insects and put them between pages of an old book to let them dry. Find some small rock.
For a compound microscope: collect water+sediment in your local pond/lake/slow moving river nearby in a glass jar. Try to find different kind of decomposing vegetation. Get another jar with moss from the forest.
You can keep theses sample for many years. Just let the lid half open, not in direct light, not in the dark. Don't need to feed your micro-pets! Just make sure you have about 1/2 of sediment and old mushy leaves, not just water.
I've got my SWIFT380B for 203$ Canadian (150$ us) on Amazon (new/open box, shipping next day). But I've also found the same model at 600-800$ at other places. There is a lot of price variation for similar item.
Are these yours, or are they from a donor?
why would he use someone else’s when he can use his own
The first step is my favourite
I am a new beginner in the Biologist studies to become a Degree biologist in (4) four years,i have purchased a telescope 40x - 1000x just to get to know biology more oneday i am going to purchase this one you are introducing just to use it for soil cool kit just watching feels like we are in a Hand-on-hands lab.
Well... if you purchased a telescope 40x-1000x for biology... Don't skip class.. you need them ASAP!
Does the kit include an onlyfans subscription or is it the old school porn magazine?
would be very helpfull for persons which have problems with hands
This dude really knows how to prepare his edge detection on a slide
They are not swimming. How come?
It could be a couple of reasons:
1. Our filming studio is in a warehouse that gets quite cold in the winters. I remember it being about 40degF that day. Not the ideal environment for sperm to be the most active!
2. When you do a sperm count test in a lab, they have you wait 7 days since your last ejaculation, which is when your sperm count/count of motile sperm will be approximately the highest (and for consistency between patients). Let's just say that we were filming back to back to back sperm related videos that day and the days prior, and this was the last video we filmed ;)
What camera are you using?
It's the USB eyepiece camera that we include in the Sperm Observation Kit and in the Horizons Lite Kit. It happens to have really good edge detection which is why we included it in the Sperm Kit. Basically any microscope camera will work better for this than your eye by themselves. If you are looking to build out a kit to view sperm specifically, I highly recommend you include a camera of some kind in your setup.
Here's a link to the camera in the video:
microsafari.org/collections/shop-all/products/usb-2-0-cmos-digital-eyepiece-microscope-camera
Why they are not swimming?
Could be a couple of reasons. The process of collecting and micropipetting the sample can sometimes kill the sperm cells. The office that I was doing this in was also really cold that day. I think in this sample I also opened up on a small bubble at first so the sperm were out of the liquid.
Would dropping the lens on the drop kill them?
@@E85_STIif it hits them then yes
if you dont see them moving what that mean?
Depends on how many aren't moving. According to the World Health Organization, men can have up to 65% of the total sperm be not motile and still be considered "fertile".
The assessing sperm motility section of the blog article I wrote will have your answers. It is most of the way down the page.
microsafari.org/pages/the-comprehensive-diy-guide-to-assessing-male-fertility-at-home
I will like to see a sample being collected
I have 200-4000X microscope can sperm been seen using this type?
It really depends on what the illumination method is more than the magnification. I made a blog article that should answer your question:
microsafari.org/pages/what-kind-of-microscope-you-need-to-see-sperm
I am a beginner in biologist please help me in some topics
No problem. First lesson: learn proper english. You can ask ChatGPT to teach you all what you want.
You are welcome
I purchased a AmScope to look at dog semen and I can't see anything. It has a WF25X eye piece and 100/1.25, 40/0.65, 10/0.25, and 4/0.10 lens. Sorry, I don't the technical terms. Should this microscope work for this? Or am I probably doing something wrong?
First, take your WF25X and throw it away (very bad image quality).
Then, try to find the proper WF10x eyepiece that came with the scope. Follow the video, watch is few time, it cover all the important steps.
So every home have a microscope 💀
Whose sample is it? 👀🤢
I wish you could tell us how you got this sample.
😏👉👈
Dang 😂
really regret drinking milk watching this
0:19 just think about science 🤣
💀💀💀
My 200 dollar binocular microscope was incredibly better than any of these , blood , semen (countable) and various bacteria.
They seem dead 😵
I'm eating a sandwich watching this nasty sht.... .I'm feel scared a little bit... not gonna lie..
Why are you watching it then bro?😂