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Levelskid

Levelskid

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  • Levelskid
    I had some cream cheese left in the fridge, and despite looking good, a look under the microscope reveals that it's filled with mold.
    Outdated
    Outdated
    Take a look at a cheese like Camembert, the mould is what gives it it's flavour. Yoghurts also have a living culture in them.

    camembert.webp
    T
    thejuice
    How long had the cream cheese been left open?
    Judge
    Judge
    I worry a lot about keeping various food products longer than I should. But then I've also experienced food poisoning as well. :eek:
    Levelskid
    Mercury looks really beautiful under the microscope. Very shiny due to the light.
    Hazel_1914
    Hazel_1914
    It is such a neat element, isn't it?
    oregano
    oregano
    I'm sure you know this, but you have to be careful with liquid mercury since it is very toxic and can also contaminate whatever surfaces it comes into contact with. Just a FYI for the forum.
    tamalito
    tamalito
    For a second there I thought you were talking about the planet lol
    Levelskid
    So, I went to pool, and collected some water (chlorinated), and put it in some pond water. The bacteria stopped moving instantly. So, you probably won't get sick from the pool (at least not from bacteria).
    FayetheADHDsquirrel
    FayetheADHDsquirrel
    I'm double unlikely to get sick from a pool because I never go to pools.😅
    I did play in a small pool in the yard of a summer when I was little and was in a bit larger of a pool in other's yards at least twice way back then, but that was years ago.
    FayetheADHDsquirrel
    FayetheADHDsquirrel
    I haven't been in a pool in over a decade (possibly 2 decades 🤔) unless you count the time a few years ago when we had a small pool for our then new husky puppies to play in and I briefly sat down in it with them for a photo. It was summer so getting my jeans and shirt soaked wasn't a problem.
    Levelskid
    I looked at some herbs I found in the cabinet, and they...look like plants under the microscope. It's strange that they still looked fully formed instead of chopped up.
    Levelskid
    So, I found some oregano oil and mixed it with some pond water from my neighbor's yard (I had permission), and it instantly stopped all bacterial activity. Remarkable.
    Outdated
    Outdated
    Most common herbs have antibacterial properties. Before refridgeration fresh meat in markets was packed in herbs to try and stop it from spoiling too quickly. And in warmer climates they used things like chili to try and keep the flies off as well.
    Gerald Wilgus
    Gerald Wilgus
    Substances that impart flavor and aroma are generally terpenes. All terpenes have biological activity and plants use terpenes for defense. Terpenes are polymers of the five carbon isoprene and can be quite complex.
    TBRS1
    TBRS1
    Try other bitter herbs, like sage.
    Levelskid
    I squeezed out some disinfectant wipes and dropped them into some pond water I had left. Most of the bacteria stopped moving. So, wipes are relatively effective but not perfect.
    T
    thejuice
    I think the scrubbing action would help it's efficacy
    Levelskid
    I found some old apple cider vinegar, and looked through the microscope. Lots of bacteria, and I think...yeast?
    Outdated
    Outdated
    Both vinegar and cider are fermented products so yes, there should be yeast. Soy sauce too.
    Gerald Wilgus
    Gerald Wilgus
    Certainly. Teaching a lab in intro Microbiology, I had students start a yogurt culture and then track the population of the different bacteria. After one strain of bacteria takes off initially, it creates the conditions for other strains to proliferate in order to create yogurt.
    Levelskid
    Strawberries are kinda gross when you look through the microscope (good thing I don't eat them), and I think those little white things are seeds.
    Levelskid
    So, I was talked into testing out lime juice this time on the pond water, and found out that it caused the bacteria to stop moving (apparently, the acid destroyed the membranes).
    T
    thejuice
    I wonder if acid would destroy viruses.

    Edit: yes it would, alcohol is used as an anti viral
    Outdated
    Outdated
    Shifting the PH balance far out of normal boundaries kills most things, acid or alkaline, either works as well. Lemon juice and vinegar are both acidic, chlorine bleach is alkaline, none of them are much good at breaking down oils so that dirt will shift easily. Different types of "clean".
    Levelskid
    So, I bought some lemon juice today, and used it in the pond water. The bacteria stopped moving after a minute (I guess it's a pretty good cleaning solution).
    Levelskid
    When I mixed the pond water with vinegar, I was surprised that it stopped the bacteria from moving (now I know why my mother used it to clean the floors).
    Levelskid
    So, this time I mixed the pond water with hand sanitizer, and well, all the bacteria stopped moving instantly (more than 99.9% effective).
    Judge
    Judge
    No surprise to me...lol. Some hand sanitizers can be pretty scary stuff apart from the bacteria they annihilate.
    Gerald Wilgus
    Gerald Wilgus
    Be aware that even if they stop moving they may not have been killed. Death by sanitizing or sterilizing agents is a stochastic process over the time of contact. After your tests, you may want to put a sample into some beef broth to see if it grows up.
    Gerald Wilgus
    Gerald Wilgus
    I used to test sterilization and aseptic processes for parenteral (injectable) drugs for assurance much less than the probability of outputting one non-sterile unit in a million using extremophile bacteria resistant to; heat sterilization- both dry heat and steam, filtration, radiation, or vapor agents like ethylene oxide or hydrogen peroxide.
    Levelskid
    So, I got more pond water and mixed it with dish soap. It was not as effective at getting rid of bacteria as I thought. A few of them survived, so dish soap washes not eliminates.
    Outdated
    Outdated
    If it's a "biodegradable" detergent it will feed bacteria rather than kill them. That's what biodegradable means.
    Judge
    Judge
    You also have to consider different brands of dish soap, and whether or not they have ingredients to be more mild regarding human skin conditions. Much like some hand soaps which can be horrendous on other parts of the body intended only for the hands, with maximum anti-bacterial action.
    T
    thejuice
    That's interesting. Now I know why during COVID they brought out an antibacterial dish soap. (Not that it would it would make a difference to COVID, normal dish soap would kill it anyway. I think we became slightly sterile obsessive during COVID though so it was a good market opportunity)

    I expect the mechanical action of scrubbing the dish will disrupt any bacterial colonies that could make you ill.
    Levelskid
    So, I mixed some cinnamon in some of the leftover pond water that I have, and was surprised to find out that the bacteria had stopped moving. Interesting.
    Judge
    Judge
    Keep at it. I find your observations to be fascinating, especially over common substances. :cool:
    Levelskid
    Well, I mixed pond water with salt, and I realized why there wasn't much bacteria in sea water (the salt caused them to stop moving).
    Outdated
    Outdated
    Sea water in the tropics is full of bacteria. In temperate climates bathing wounds in the ocean is a good idea, try that in the tropics and you could end up with a nasty necrotic tropical ulcer.
    T
    thejuice
    They use salt to preserve things don't they. Now is it the salt that stops bacteria or is it the drying out/ dessication. @Outdated seems like salt isn't anti bacterial then, or not 100% effective
    Levelskid
    Salt crystals are surprisingly intricate. Going to mix it with pond water next (thankfully, it stopped raining).
    Levelskid
    I mixed detergent with some pond water, and the bacteria melted faster than alcohol (it's like watching them turn into soup).
    tamalito
    tamalito
    ¡Hey amiguis!

    I really like these posts, have tou tried looking at a feather under the microscope?
    Levelskid
    Levelskid
    Yep :)
    Levelskid
    Needles are really dull up close, and based on the amount bacteria on it; it's best to sterilize it with alcohol.
    Levelskid
    There's a surprising amount of fungi in the dirt of your nails (this is why I keep my nails short and manicured).
    FayetheADHDsquirrel
    FayetheADHDsquirrel
    Was that your most recent microscope experiment? I was learning how to examine soil samples the other day.
    Levelskid
    Levelskid
    Yep :)
    Outdated
    Outdated
    You'll find that fungi all over your body if you're healthy. It's the first line of defence in your immune system, kill them at your own peril.
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