See Microbes with this DIY Phone Microscope

See the tiny creatures living in a pond or puddle using your smartphone, poster tack, and a laser pointer.
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↓Want more info?↓
Here are some other great DIY Microscope tutorials!
Build a microscope stand for your laser pointer lens scope: bit.ly/1cluVgD
Create a 1000x smartphone microscope with a glass bead: bit.ly/1Soy8Bx
Don’t have a smartphone? Try this water drop microscope from Mr. Wizard: bit.ly/1mlTcg5
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Host, Writer, Editor
Anna Rothschild
Special Thanks
Greg Kestin, Jeffrey Wood, Janet Sonenberg
Good Times a
Music Provided by APM
Original Footage
©WGBH Educational Foundation
SFX
Cockroaches
Freesound/StateAardvark­
(used with permission from author)
Squeak Pack/squeak_10
Freesound/Corsica_S
Produced by WGBH for PBS Digital Studios

[@n3crok]

I wish I knew you when I was a kid.

[@MrTweetyhack]

she's got a boyfriend

[@clairebailey8721]

My 8 yr old son really likes this channel, science if his favourite subject at school and he gets really excited whenever you post a new video. Thanks for keeping him interested and entertained over the (Australian) summer holidays

[@grossscienceshow]

That's so great to hear! Thanks so much for telling me. If your son ever has a science question I can help answer on the show, let me know!

[@username09287]

Science is my fav as well!! Anyways,is it still his fav..? Just curious! You don’t have to answer.

[@JupiterKnight]

ok

[@sportsfails4998]

Not Australian, more like the entire southern hemisphere

[@Mr.Oblivian]

@@sportsfails4998 Thanks for clearing that up, Captain Obvious.

[@marietteblond8476]

Pond water viewing, looking at amoebae and paramecium is what started me in a career in medical technology back in 3rd grade.

[@grossscienceshow]

+Barb B That is so great!

[@tula__]

whoa it’s been years hearing words like amoeba are paramecium. Childhood memories ✌🏼

[@HomesteadOnThePreserve]

It's hard to believe this works as well as it does, very cool!

[@SlyPearTree]

If you don't have any stagnant water around, make your own. When I was a kid I would put water and hay in a jar (any type of plant life should do), let it open and exposed to the sun a couple of days (or a few, can't remember). I would then examine the unicellular organism that colonized my jar with the microscope my parent gave me for Christmas .

[@jaida.elised9507]

SlyPearTree i

[@mastertrey4683]

SlyPearTree o

[@EasterWitch]

I thought the pictures of the dust and the earwax looked kind of beautiful.

[@grossscienceshow]

+LiquoriceLover Thanks! I thought so too.

[@ПетърЖотев-п4р]

It is blyatiful

[@manjubajpai2894]

Nailed it ! 😅😅

[@manishshah1506]

Yeah me too

[@twisterlord665]

...I think the normal microscope is cheaper than the smartphone alone.

[@potatopotato7230]

TwisterLord No, real microscopes can cost 10's of thousands of dollars....

[@twisterlord665]

+Potato Potato Really? Because I got mine for less than 100. Then again, it can only go up to like 150x

[@edeninmyden8840]

TwisterLord Are you dumb? Normal microscopes cost thousands.

[@lazar2175]

Potato Potato No,i have 3 microscopes,first one is russian that has max x120 zoom,i bought it for 10 bucks without mirror and i added ring light to it for use in electronics. Second one is flea market find,payed 75 euros for decent microscope kit with slides and samples,it has x150 magnification and works really good,i use this one to in particular to check aquarium water,pig meat... And last but not least i have a stereo microscope again for electronics and fiddling with teeny tiny stuff.Well worth 300 euros.(x80) P.S. I have 4 if you count my analog to digital conversion of microscope,wich sits in one corner as im scared to bring my laptop to my "lab",and it costed me like 30-40 bucks for scope,5 euros webcam,arduino for focusing the thing and controlling leds.

[@bencesarosi7718]

The lens works very well without a smartphone. I salvaged mine from a laser pointer I bought for $1.35 It's hard to go any cheaper than that.

[@trickyx925]

I can see this channel getting 500,000 subscribers or more by the end of this year, keep being awesome! :D

[@RaphaelAntuJonesAlvarado]

ive been here since before 1000 and that wasnt such a long time ago i subscribed when she had like 800 subs

[@grossscienceshow]

+Youssef Wael Thanks so much, Youssef!

[@grossscienceshow]

+Raphael Antu Jones Alvarado Woohoo! You're awesome Raphael!

[@rocketman9363]

+Gross Science Let me just say that this channel (along with brain craft and it's okay to be smart) has been really helpful with school :)

[@jollyxd3034]

TrickyX EHHH WRONG

[@lymemj]

I will be seeing the skin infection in my face that the Derm didn't care to look thank you ;)

[@yqisq6966]

smartphone has potential for everything lol

[@keirwaterman9313]

People neeed to look at my wheelchair i have used for a day they would see some strange creatures on my wheels

[@SaleKlar]

Psst here is a tip - take lens from old cd reader ;) ..much better quality and magnification then laser pointer one

[@seatbelttruck]

I've always wanted to be able to play around with a microscope at home! Now, if only I had a smartphone...

[@보여줘너를]

LagiNaLangAko23 based from your username,i'm assuming that you're a filipino too! like me.

[@보여줘너를]

LagiNaLangAko23 knew it

[@sumesh-kumar]

This "particular" video is very interesting 😁😁😁

[@ProfRoofs]

Look at urine from human or animal… especially if you suspect a UTI

[@pyxtube]

Awesome! I just subscribed to your channel. Number 45,652!

[@grossscienceshow]

+Steven Nicolet Amazing! Thank you, Steven!!!

[@keepbman]

My 5 year old and I watch your videos over and over! You are making science fun for kids and their parents. We love what you're doing! Keep it up.

[@adrianoprisan8992]

Wow this is awesome!! I don't have to pay hundreds of dollars for a real microscope *-*

[@jitendrachaudhari4445]

Love you from india

[@harraz7354]

can someone explain and how the parts work? if someone did ill be very thankful

[@raphaelbonobo]

Okay. That's really cool! Thanks!! But somehow, I can see myself becoming a microbe maniac as soon as I've used this microscope. Ignorance is bliss sometimes :p

[@grossscienceshow]

+Monsieur de Bonobo I get it! I couldn't stop looking at those paramecia once I saw them.

[@Sarah-uz3fy]

I watched this just now, year 2020. Anyway, 0:52 I used clay instead.

[@kaptainuke]

Wonderful. Can't wait to show this to my kids. Thank you.

[@AliHSyed]

low key question: is it powerful enough to see gametes?

[@grossscienceshow]

+Ali Syed Assuming we're talking about humans here, you could not see male gametes, but you could probably see female gametes quite well. Also, thanks for the sensitive wording of your question.

[@shadylutfy7638]

+Ali Syed makes this goes to bathroom

[@56gothmog]

+Ali Syed Do you have a low gamete count?

[@AliHSyed]

56gothmog I guess we'll find out

[@cookiesw9270]

+Gross Science can you see quakes

[@EVO1148]

Thought you might be interested to know that I was sent here by one of the veterinary clinical pathologists/lecturers at Cambridge University. Clearly you have a fan in the vet department ;)

[@BeepDerpify]

woah woah woah woah, who's this Greg guy? why was he only shown for a second!? he looked super hipster and cute!!! more Greg please yes homo

[@PutchewInnaspin]

Please don't be so flamboyant.

[@sorachan7690]

we're talking about science and bacteria here, not handsome guys

[@joyceeosacdin8723]

Cool! Just wondering tho since I haven't tried it if the orientation of the image seen under this improvised microscope is really upright (just like the image of letter a on the video)?? or is it like the compound microscope and is inverted?? Hope this will be answered :))

[@yackfzay6224]

Pretty cool. Fun with kids.

[@illumi-naughty1478]

Kool does this work to look at your blood?

[@masterml1222]

just want to tell you its hard maybe when using lens put triple lens maybe you can see bacteria e.coli

[@TheRealestEric]

I'm kinda... In love with this girl? She's so expressive and excited.

[@drhaxan]

this is sooo cool! who would have thought that you can make make a microscope with your smartphone. so genius LOVE IT! Thanks for making this awesome video

[@cj_cnz]

is this legit? wanna use this method for research purposes

[@simonbenc9816]

I love so much this chanel :-)

[@grossscienceshow]

+Šimon Benc That's so great to hear! Thank you :)

[@joannetang2916]

:( I bought a laser pointer $18 but there is no lens it. my sister told me that lens is very expensive, I don't know what to do with it, I can't find any other kind of lasar pointer near my hmoe

[@DDG2023]

Do you have any old cameras that have stopped working? Or maybe if someone is throwing out an older digital or film camera, you can ask them to give it to you instead. (Better than ending up in a bin!) You can disassemble the camera and experiment with the lenses from it. Just be careful not to cut yourself on the sharp bits... it's really easy to do... ask me, I know. 😜 Got a scar on my thumb to prove it. On the plus side, some camera lenses are REALLY powerful and will work way better than the laser pointer lens.

[@joannetang2916]

noted, thx :)

[@abdullah23ify]

old cd rom or dvd

[@venkateshpathak2444]

Is that works really ?? Plz tell , I want to try it 😇it is so interesting

[@edbeelasdestroyer-brine4394]

Lens from a Laser that's the most important thing in the Micro-Phone-Scope

[@h1234e1234]

4 years later, you solved my problem. Thanks!

[@zoepowell2674]

OMG! Must. Do. The ground is pretty close to frozen here right now, probably not too much living in our 35-40 degree water, but I bet I could get a sample of seawater! I already have flashlights and poster tack, just gotta go get a laser pointer. How strong do I need the laser pointer to be?

[@grossscienceshow]

+Zoe Powell Ha, yeah... I posted this the day before the temperatures dropped here, too. But seawater would work! Also, the laser pointer does not have to be strong at all--just get the cheapest one you can find.

[@teekotrain6845]

Curious to look at blood samples. Pure bloods vs booster bloods 🧪🧫🔬🧬👨‍🔬🩸💉🧟‍♀️

[@warker6186]

i didn't know that lense on that laser could be used as lens for seeing tiny microbes lol :D i just throw away the laser when the battery is not working awokawokawok and anyway nice work and thanks 4 sharing!

[@rainbowfoxmagicgrrrl]

What magnification power does this microscope have?

[@johnwhite5306]

Why didn't she show the entire phone so we could see it on the screen? I think we know why.

[@chethanpyldar6915]

Don't ride a bullet trine madam, how can u say that is paramecium 😂😂 u trying to keep flowers on viewer's ear. don't do these kind of fake videos for views and likes.

[@Jaykayp53]

Lol do this really work? Tried this cause teachers asked to do this for project. Can't really see that kind of magnification. 😅 any help would be great.

[@pauls0416]

So cooool!!!! but... I don't want to put that crap on my brand new iPhone 7 Plus :( hmmm already got rid of my old one.

[@carlvictoria3537]

That kind of laser is only 20 pesos here in the Philippines aprox 2 quarters... 3 dollars here is already aprox 150 dollars...

[@ljushastighet]

My dad has a 600x magnification microscope he works at his job with

[@thi8508]

Would it be possible to see microscope slides (cell slides, for example) with this microscope?

[@vuk5001]

Yes but do not expect to zoom in very much (like see inside the cell)

[@MrAugban]

Microscope smartphone kzbin.info/www/bejne/oH68nJRpjLqasMU And Microscope DIY kzbin.info/www/bejne/oJKaZ5iibqmNnMU

[@isaacclarke8976]

I like this girl more than the video

[@seanmaccormack4781]

I found on the internet someone has patent this idea for university microscopy apparently made 1.3 million from it.

[@stelley08]

Would one getter better magnification using this method THEN go ahead and add one of those cheap clip on microscopes?

[@memberson]

I'd like to use it to look at the soil samples

[@Anonymous-d2i5o]

Nice Pretty Woman You Are😘It is nice to saw you..

[@guestgaminghd6923]

What I'm gunna do with my 1200X Microscope I'm getting for Christmas is when I or one of my family members get sick, I'm gunna ask then if they can cough or sneeze on a napkin. Next I will examine the tissue with 100X I would write notes, Next I will examine it with 400X, Taking notes of it and then finnaly 1200X, I will take notes. I would most likely hope to see atleast a little or some part of the bacteria or germ. Mostly I will hand gloves for this so I don't get exposed and affected with the sickness, another way is I would out maybe 2 or 3 bags of plastic (Possibly Ziplock) If that won't work then that's Ok. Next I would look at the internet and search what this sickness is, can most likely be the cold or sniffles, Then I would say the the results of conformation and set it up on my record on my notepad book.

[@malapitricharddavidm.9586]

If you have a broken phone around take the camera lens, preferably the front camera. It's much better.

[@shellryke1285]

That is awesome! Going to get a lazer pointer now. Thanks for sharing.

[@AnTi90d]

I'm sick as hell and I fell like dirt.. but your energy still made me smile.

[@grossscienceshow]

+AnTi90d Thanks! Feel better soon!

[@ibrahimkhalil2957]

I am make a microscope.like this.I was make that by smooth cardboard,a lens.but my was was same power of that.

[@yodamaster202]

Buddy? Better to get married whit Greg in popularity..Right now, Go.

[@arupchakrabarty5470]

thank im really excited to experience it!

[@Orashgle]

when all i have is the flashlight

[@blackberry8615]

Lol me too

[@draax_06_42]

alguien en español¿?

[@aladinandrei3208]

See Microbes with this DIY Phone Microscope were are the microbes lady ? hahahha

[@jeeptimbo]

I cant wait to try it! Thanks for all the awesome videos.

[@grossscienceshow]

+ManHeimAwesome Thanks for watching! And I'd love to see the results once you try it.

[@TheStewieGriffinShow]

Well, it's pretty cool to make your own. However, you can always just buy a 50X-500X magnification digital USB powered microscope with LED lighting for your computer for $11.14 with free shipping on Ebay. I have a much better one, and it didn't cost that much more. They have all different kinds.

[@atanasgeorgiev128]

I have perfect focus on the paper and above it. I can not see any creature. I even use two lenses at once for bigger magnification. Zero result. :\

[@ParanoeX]

after seeing those creepy crawlies in the intro, im not so sure i want to try this anymore...

[@janemedrano8201]

Hello, gross science. Is it possible for me to get a copy of your video for class presentation purposes? Thank you.

[@dejiko]

A really powerful phone camera like the one the Huawei P30 or whatever has would give some great results methinks

[@simplehistory9472]

What is the purpose of this micro scope? (Answer scientificly)

[@chethanpyldar6915]

Don't make fools who don't know the microbiology. 😂😂😂

[@phasorsystems6873]

Circuits giving you a headache? Search androidcircuitsolver on google

[@KiroPerida]

The laser lens is too small for my camera lens :/

[@zkrunx]

Who else went to the hall of science I did on a school trip 4 grade in in 5th now

[@robleytrades]

You should know what paramecia is if you went to 5th grade

[@christianjosephgutib868]

I can now see money in my wallet! 😱

[@DiscoverRajivVlogs]

Haha you can't see nothing like microorganisms. Drop it.

[@malabikaroy3176]

Really cool i will surely try it

[@Addybhoot93]

Please stop fooling others. That video and picture you showed at the end is not a mobile phone image.

[@NolimitMarine]

After watching this video, I wonder how many guys are going to try to see their own sperm?

[@sirius2nd]

not working at all everything is blurry

[@babint.praise211]

sir can you suggest some better lens to view .05 micrometre organism? Pls mam..

[@holysoul4005]

very much like your video, hope it will solve my problem

[@Meekseek]

This was done in 2013, lets talk covet.

[@nyxxexists]

it did not work but i will try with a different lens and see if it will work

[@AbbasAli-mw7xt]

If you are single then I'd love to go on a date with you

[@TheyCallMeNewb]

My real microscope cant see bacterium! Travesty!

[@beez5503]

Fascinating idea!

[@boonalticor1]

i alredy do it but i dont see any microbes i see only my skin

[@j.spallin1502]

THIS. IS. SO. COOL!!! I just discovered this channel and I'm in love. More more more!! :D

[@TAGORSIREGAR-n2f]

Simple Tech is the coolest Tech , Human can acknowledge...Thanks

[@srinivassivakumar4847]

A very cool video , but what will be the difference in the image size when i use a convex lens of a flash light?

[@trungduongduong1424]

When you wave your hand you look justlike a penguin !xD!!!Anyway thanks for the information.:P

[@movfree88]

I have a quastion. Is drone lens powerful than laser one? Pls reply

[@Nutshellin-zn6pz]

Can we take it out easily? And is this actually real

[@shadiya4839]

Its really very easy thank you for this great idea it really help me in my project thanks😁😁😁😊😊

[@schuylervillepubliclibrary7217]

Could you see a water bear (tardigrade) using this technique?

[@absurdgamertag]

And my KZbin crush is back! Have an awesome 2016, Anna!