Adolfo Sánchez-Blanco, Ph.D

Blood is a vehicle for the transportation of materials around the body. The most time-sensitive material that blood transports is oxygen, which is carried by hemoglobin proteins within red blood cells (RBCs). This is why RBCs are the most abundant cellular component in blood. I think it is amazing that in just 1 microliter of blood there are more than 4 million RBCs. Keep in mind that each RBC contains more than 250 million hemoglobin proteins (each hemoglobin protein complex can transport up to 4 oxygen molecules). . If you look at a fresh sample of blood under the microscope, it is difficult to see anything other than RBCs. This is because >99.9% of the cells in blood are RBCs. However, if you look closely, you can also see white blood cells (WBCs). There are different types of WBCs, each WBC type specialized in different immune defense functions. The most abundant type of WBC in blood is neutrophils, which are constantly patrolling the bloodstream, searching for bacteria, fungi, and other pathogens that may have infected your body. . WBCs are incredibly complex. For example, lymphocytes can differentiate into specialized types and generate immune responses that are specific to different pathogens. One function of specialized lymphocytes is to produce antibodies that target specific pathogens. . Blood also has a built-in repair system in case a blood vessel is damaged. The two key components of this system are fibrinogen (a protein transported by blood plasma) and platelets (cell fragments containing enzymes that regulate the process of coagulation). . All of this explains why blood analyses provide such important insights into what is happening inside the body. This is why blood testing is such a crucial part of any general medical examination that you get. . For this video I used an Olympus BX41 microscope at up to 1000x magnification. #microscopy #microscope #histology #physiology #hematology #drbioforever

Molds do not appear magically. Mold spores travel through the air, and when they land on a suitable surface (e.g., a slightly bruised orange), the spores germinate into a hyphal cell, which then eventually thrives into a mycelium thanks to the moisture and nutrients that the orange provides. . I think the first mold in the video is Penicillium digitatum (correct me if I am wrong, please). Some Penicillium mold species produce the antibiotic penicillin. Thanks to Penicillium molds, antibiotics were discovered in 1928 (Alexander Fleming). The discovery of antibiotics has been one of the most important advances in the history of medicine. And everything happened due to studying a mold similar to the one in this video! You never know the amazing potential applications that may be discovered just by understanding the biology of different creatures. . I am not sure what species the mold consuming the tomato is. It could be Botrytis (please write a comment with the species name if you can identify it). . Anyhow, molds are just incredible. I love looking at the network of hyphal filaments under the microscope. It is always mesmerizing to see the network of hyphae that make up the mold mycelium (the mold hyphae are made of thin tubular cells). . Molds like these could be nasty to our produce but molds are also incredibly important organisms as they play critical ecological roles as decomposers (recycling the organic wastes of nature!) . Biology is amazing! . For this video I used an Olympus CX31 microscope at up to 400x magnification and a Leica ZOOM 200 stereoscope. #microscope #microscopy #molds #spores #hyphae #mycelium #drbioforever

It is hard to believe that this microorganism is made of just one single cell! . This microorganism is the protozoan Stentor. . Despite being a single-cell microorganism, Stentor displays an incredibly complex behavior, such as its ability to sense and respond to changes in its environment. . For example, when threatened, Stentor can rapidly contract its trumpet-shaped body, quickly shrinking in size quickly to avoid harm. Another incredible behavior is its ability to switch between anchoring itself to a surface to feed or detaching and swimming freely depending on the conditions. . It blows my mind that a single cell microscopic creature can have such sophisticated behavior! . Biology is just amazing!! . For these videos I used an Olympus CX31 microscope at up to 200x magnification. #stentor #protozoan #microorganism #microscopy #drbioforever

The chloroplasts of Spirogyra, mosses, and Elodea all perform photosynthesis, but they differ in shape, number, and arrangement. . 1) The alga Spirogyra has large, ribbon-like chloroplasts that spiral along the inside of each cell, maximizing light capture in its filamentous structure. 2) The moss cells contain smaller, oval chloroplasts scattered throughout the cytoplasm. 3) Elodea, the vascular aquatic plant that you saw in the third part of the video, has a lot of small, disc-shaped chloroplasts that move around the edges of the cell in a process called cytoplasmic streaming. . Despite their differences in structure and appearance, these three organisms carry out photosynthesis in their chloroplasts, using sunlight to produce their own food and organic molecules of life from scratch! . Photosynthesis and chloroplasts are amazing! Honestly, I can’t decide which ones of these 3 types of chloroplasts are the prettiest. . For these videos I used an Olympus CX31 microscope at up to 400x magnification. #microscopy #chloroplasts #spirogyra #photosynthesis #moss #elodea #drbioforever

In order to do any kind of activity (including being alive), your body's cells need energy. The most important energy molecule that cells use to perform work activities is ATP. This is also the case for your muscle cells. Your muscles use ATP to contract. Thus, to do physical activity, you need to power your muscles with energy. The more physical activity you do, the more energy they require. . When an ATP energy token is used, ATP liberates one of its phosphate groups, and this releases energy. When this happens, ATP becomes ADP. This ADP cannot be used again as an energy molecule until it gets recharged with another phosphate group (we do this by cellular respiration). . The interesting thing is that the muscles store another type of energy molecule called creatine phosphate, which can donate a phosphate group to ADP, turning it back into ATP. Therefore, the more creatine we store in the muscles, the more ADPs we can recharge into ATPs, and therefore the more powering of the muscles we can do. . The ATP regeneration process driven by creatine phosphate happens super quickly compared to the recharging of ADP that occurs via cellular respiration. This is why high creatine levels in your muscles allow you to do explosive physical activities like lifting heavy weights, sprinting, or jumping for a longer time. . Creatine monohydrate is the typical way creatine supplements are sold. These creatine crystals do not dissolve well in water. What you saw in the video is that when creatine finally dissolved in water (with the help of heat), the individual creatine molecules in the crystals dissolved into the water. But then, when the water in the creatine solution evaporated, creatine recrystallized, although in this case, it did so in the form of a different crystal shape because creatine is no longer in the monohydrate form. These new types of creatine crystals under the microscope and with polarized light are incredibly beautiful! . For this video I used an Olympus BX41 microscope at up to 200x magnification #microscopy #microscope #creatine #creatinemonohydrate #creatinesupplement #drbioforever

Plants take in carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, but how exactly do they do it? Well, they have tiny pores on the underside of their leaves that open and close. These pores are called stomata, and plants use them to take up carbon dioxide and to release oxygen. In other words, stomata are how plants “breathe.” . In this video you can see microscopic images of stomata embedded in the underside epidermis of these 3 types of leaves: 1️) fern leaf 2️) Tradescantia leaf 3️) nail polish cast of a dry oak leaf . Leaves are an incredible combination of art and engineering, beautifully shaped by evolution/natural selection. . Biology is amazing! . For these videos I used a Leica ZOOM 200 stereoscope, an Olympus CX31 microscope, and an Olympus BX41 microscope at up to 400x magnification. #microscopy #microscope #plantbiology #artinnature #biologicalart #stomata #drbioforever

As you can see in this video, exposing plant cells to salt water will dehydrate the cells. This is why watering plants with salt water will kill them. . This is an example of osmosis in action! Putting the plant leaf or the onion tissue in distilled water means exposing the plant cells to a hypotonic solution. By osmosis, water molecules move from higher concentration to lower concentration. Thus, water moves from the outside to the inside of the cells. This causes the plant cells to swell, but the cell wall prevents them from bursting, therefore the cells will become as full of water as they can be. If they didn’t have a cell wall, the cells would swell so much that they would burst (this is what happens to animal cells when they are placed in distilled water). . When the plant cells are exposed to a salt solution (hypertonic solution), once again, by osmosis water molecules move from higher concentration to lower concentration. But in this case, the inside of the cell has a higher concentration of water molecules than the outside of the cell hypertonic solution. Thus, water moves from the inside of the cells towards the outside of the cells making the cells shrink. The cell walls are rigid so they are not affected by this. You can see how the cell becomes smaller and smaller as it loses its water content by osmosis, but the cell wall stays in place. . By the way, some plants (e.g. plants living near the ocean shoreline…) have special adaptations to get rid of the salt and maintain osmotic balance. But the rest of the plants will eventually die if you water them with salt water. . For this video I used an Olympus CX31 and an Olympus BX41 microscope at up to 400x magnification. The recordings of the cells were sped 20-40 times. #microscopy #microscope #planthistology #osmosis #hypertonic #hypotonic #plantbiology #drbioforever

Urine is produced by the kidneys. But why do we urinate? It turns out that urination is incredibly important for our bodies as this is the way we maintain water and electrolyte balance as well as the main way we eliminate metabolic wastes! . The kidneys are one of the most complex organs of the body! and looking at them under the microscope sure shows the incredible level of complexity of these organs. . Each human kidney contains about 1 million nephrons. Nephrons are the functional units of the kidney, responsible for filtering blood, reabsorbing essential substances, and forming urine. In other words, blood is taken to the kidney nephrons. Nephrons filter blood plasma, reabsorbing useful substances while removing wastes, excess water, and excess electrolytes. In other words, nephrons transform blood plasma into urine. . Each part of the nephron plays a role in urine formation, and their location within the kidney is key to their function. The cortex of the kidney contains most of the nephron parts (corpuscle, proximal convoluted tubule as well as the distal convoluted tubule). The medulla of the kidney contains the loop of Henle (nephron loop) as well as the collecting ducts where the newly formed urine will be transported to the minor calyx of the kidney. . The urine that reaches the minor calyces converges into the major calyces of the kidney. Once in the major calyces, the urine moves to the renal pelvis of the kidney, and the renal pelvis directs urine into the ureter, which carries it to the bladder for storage until we’re ready to urinate. . Every drop of urine is the result of an incredibly coordinated microscopic process that keeps the body balanced. If the kidneys stop working, waste builds up, osmoregulation fails, and the whole body starts to fail. That’s why kidney health is crucial! The kidneys are incredible! . Thank you to all the nephrologists of the world for studying one of the most complex organs of the body! . For this video I used a Leica ZOOM 200 stereoscope and an Olympus BX41 microscope at up to 1000x magnification #microscopy #microscope #physiology #kidney #histology #nephron #nephrology #drbioforever