This is a microphotograph of red blood cells and platelets. The red blood cells are the round cells that look like donuts. The technical description for red blood cells is that they are bi-concave disks. But for me they look like plates! And the platelets actually look like extra rice!
Can you see it? A plate and an extra rice on its left? Hahaha! Try squinting?!
Maybe I'm just seeing things kasi gutom ako. Anyway, I took this microphotograph using an Olympus BX-type research microscope. The microscope had been with our laboratory for sometime already and its camera needs some repairs. Nonetheless , it takes some decent microphotographs if you are patient enough to tinker with its numerous controls.
I just have to mention that we also have a Nikon Alphapot Microscope with a camera attachment. It uses a film camera though! It has been years since I last saw a film. (Last time was during my graduation from college! Everyone of my classmates had digicams and my dear mother brought a film camera, well it was our only camera and it conked out during the ceremony!)
Well, one doesn't need to have a fancy microscope to get microphotographs. I would like to share with you guys some of my microphotography using my cellphone camera.
The pic above is the ova of a Capillaria philippinensis. A dreaded worm capable of causing death. This egg came from samples sent over to my former bosses in UP NIH, Dr. Belizario and Prof Winnie de Leon for confirmation. I used my Nokia 5300 phone camera to take this picture. The technique is to have steady hands, grip your camera well and align your camera's line of sight with that of the microscope. You will just see a bright light on your camera's view finder. Focus on this bright light and zoom in on it! Click!
You also might notice that I have photomicrograph of a tapeworm egg on my blog header. I also used a mobile camera to take that picture.
To end this post, I am posting another photomicrograph. The first three able to identify what it is will get a prize. Just put your guess on the comment box. This contest is open only to residents of the Philippines and the winners shall be announced on September 2, 2011.
No comments:
Post a Comment