Watching This Single-Cell Organism Die is Oddly Moving

Watching Jam's Germs YouTube video of a single cell Blepharisma disintegrate under a microscope is a good reminder of the fragility of life.
Jessica Miley

The world around us is in a constant state of change, cells are growing, multiplying and dying all around us. But because these processes are happening at the microscopic level, it can be easy to forget.

YouTube channel Jam’s Germs takes us on a journey to the microscopic with videos of microorganisms in all different states and phases. In the latest video, a single-celled organism in the genus, Blepharisma is shown dying.

Jam says they don’t see them very often in their samples, so captured the moment through a microscope. The organism has a pinkish color and it is photophobic, meaning if the light levels are increased it will swim into the dark areas.

If they are exposed to light or starved they lose their pinkish color. The one featured here is quite faded.

Jam is unsure why this organism died but it is fascinating to see the already tiny lifeform dissolve away into nothingness. As Jam points out no matter how big or small life is very fragile.

If you enjoyed this video, be sure to subscribe to Jam’s Germs. The videos range from examining creatures like dust mites under a microscope to observing the reproductive process of Ciliates.

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