The Microbe That's Big Enough to Pet

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Hosted by Hank Green:
Twitter: / hankgreen
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Music by Andrew Huang:
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Songs in this episode include Rain II & Triad Flux, which are available here:
andrewhuang.bandcamp.com/albu...
Journey to the Microcosmos is a Complexly production.
Find out more at www.complexly.com
Stock video from:
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SOURCES:
www.google.com/books/edition/...
www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi...
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/3397917/
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28755...
www.researchgate.net/publicat...

[@remanjecarter2787]

"He said: 'it's squishy' " Not sure what I was expecting but it was an amazing way to describe it

[@JamsGerms]

ahahaha I am a poet in a way! :D - James

[@nadiamillones9979]

@@JamsGerms you are now an expert in microbiological petting now

[@jimurrata6785]

Sounds _so_ Zefrank!

[@bluesap7318]

Love that word. I associate with cute and fluffy creatures though.

[@Aya_Brea1998]

I wouldn't touch it. Clearly nobody here has seen the movie Life with Ryan Reynolds.

[@trevinbeattie4888]

“I shall call him squishy and he shall be mine.” - Dory

[@Orlor]

Bad Squishy!

[@budmeister]

HAHAHAHAHA YOU QUOTED LINE FROM MOVIE HAHAHAHAHAH THAT FUNNY

[@tryambaknathjha7574]

@@budmeister yes funny

[@Aya_Brea1998]

I wouldn't touch it. Clearly nobody here has seen the movie Life with Ryan Reynolds.

[@BobbinMcferry]

"And you shall be my squishy. Come here, squishy!"

[@JamsGerms]

If anyone needs some guidance on how to pet an amoeba, I am here for you! - James

[@whizthesugoi]

please, teach me the ways and also, pond tank video, pretty please

[@F0X_H0UND]

Lay it on us James! My son and I love digging around in our pond and putting whatever we find under the microscope.

[@JamsGerms]

@Oliver Judson you want to buy my Squishy McSquishface!?

[@aphilosophicalnaturalist6245]

Do I need to wet my hand with filtered pond water that the amoeba lives in?

[@DFX2KX]

Why is the notion of an amoeba being 'pet' strangely adorable to me?

[@unvergebeneid]

It's crazy that a single cell membrane can hold this giant thing together, even when it's being touched!

[@aomimezura11]

Check out the "sailors eyeball"

[@PopeGoliath]

@@aomimezura11 Oog they creep me out.

[@italucenaz]

@@aomimezura11 in that case there is a very hard celular celulose wall beyond the membrane

[@bicycleninja1685]

It's like an anime monster that swallows up everything around it.

[@italucenaz]

@@nathansmith5266 they are not somatic cells, the ones that are just ovocites are not living beings, but the ones fertilized with a lot of cells are

[@Dr_Tapeworm]

lol the stentor being absolutely dwarfed by this UNIT

[@KoWoTun]

the scale: me and the boeing

[@GordonFreechmen]

Out-squishied.

[@dougfairbanks8055]

I was amazed I saw it & said, "Stentor!" I must be gett'n some learnin!.... Love this channel!

[@MrCantStopTheRobot]

In awe of the SIZE of this lad...

[@TheRealFlenuan]

Degenerate Protists should be my band name

[@matheussanthiago9685]

hard to think a punkier name

[@johnbush5325]

Album name "Even my Mitochondria abandoned me"

[@xilpes6254]

Dysfunctional Protein

[@dalbaeb4594]

Proteus Vulgaris

[@DementiaJhoBear]

Lol when is the album coming out?😍😍😍😫 Sincerely, An interested Microbiology degree holder

[@AccidentalNinja]

I'd heard that there was some lineage which had lost their mitochondria; it's neat to actually see one of them.

[@ananadghose]

¹¹

[@hornygiantess]

@Emily Balcer double a batteries

[@iopvixens]

@Emily Balcer mitochondria is the powerhouse, not the battery fun fact: mitochondria are actually bacteria

[@wheresmycar9559]

@@iopvixens They're the long split ancestors of bacteria. Mitochondria can't survive outside of the cytoplasm, but I see where you're coming from.

[@tribiz6762]

There’s actually a couple animals that don’t have mitochondria. They’re mm sizes members of the phylum Cnidaria, but they are animals that don’t have mitochondria and don’t breath O2

[@AyushBahuguna]

>"sludge may not sound particularly delicious" the metalhead community is requesting your location

[@jackscully7986]

Should've used some Acid Bath background music while talking about sludge - missed opportunity

[@BlackMasterRoshi]

Eh, i could never get into sludge. too boring i guess.

[@AyushBahuguna]

@@BlackMasterRoshi try the more prog oriented side of sludge then, like Intronaut or Ocean Collective

[@shadbird8772]

@@BlackMasterRoshi Ever heard of Mastodon?

[@MrCantStopTheRobot]

"sludge, goo, paste" and "slime" have gross connotations but a lot of what we eat could be classified as such. Usually "butter" or "sauce" is the euphemism.

[@anonyb0b414]

FInally, I can pet a microorganism!

[@Shenron557]

If its size is in the millimeter range, is it still a microorganism? 😅

[@PersonaRandomNumbers]

@@Shenron557 Maybe it's a milli-organism?

[@user-mh2bw4hu3o]

Macro-organism

[@kishikun]

It's just an organism I guess...

[@WobblesandBean]

You can pet other microorganisms, too. _Valonia ventricosa_ is a single celled algae that reaches up to two inches in diameter, making it the largest eukaryote. Then there's _Thiomargarita namibiensis,_ the largest prokaryotic cell, which look like little chains in the water where they live. You can see them with the naked eye, they're absolutely massive!

[@paulineareno4443]

I wholeheartedly thought the title said “Pelomyxa: Big Enough to be your Pet” and I immediately looked in the comments for Pelomyxa pet care tips

[@mozarteanchaos]

i mean... i think you _could_ theoretically keep it as a pet? maybe?

[@neoqwerty]

@@mozarteanchaos Just reproduce their ideal environment in a closed ecosystem. And figure out what actually turns into the sludge they nom.

[@skyemorningstar166]

@@neoqwerty seems like it's mostly mulm? Any fishtank should crank out a bunch of the stuff.

[@hotaruishere2133]

@@skyemorningstar166 I clearly don't know what I'm doing here, because WHAT THE HECK IS "MULM"???? XDDDD

[@skyemorningstar166]

@@hotaruishere2133 biomater. Fish poop, rotted food, bacteria, shed leaves from live plants, dead algae, etc. The brown goo that builds up in the substrate and filters.

[@kellydalstok8900]

Maybe Pelomyxa isn’t degenerate. Instead it was just a bit absent minded when it lost its mitochondria.

[@rosekay5031]

Lol

[@Microtherion]

@@rosekay5031 It might just have put them down for a few thousand years, and it's going back soon. They move very slowly. :)

[@businessproyects2615]

An strong independent cell needs no mitocondria

[@MogofWar]

Nah! Its mitochondria evolved into a different structure which they still possess.

[@JaneXemylixa]

To lose one mitochondrion may be regarded as a misfortune; to lose all of them looks like carelessness

[@sock2828]

I've had these pop up in some of my fish tanks. Didn't realize they were single celled.

[@jessicap4998]

As someone who works in an environmental lab, I can tell you that 'sludge' is 100% real type of sample. No, I'm not kidding. Also, I have found my spirit animal.

[@MrLense]

What? A microorganism that doesn't have Mitochondria? My high school textbooks have lied

[@limiv5272]

Bacteria are microorganisms too...

[@BlackMasterRoshi]

@@limiv5272 me 2

[@topsecret1837]

@@limiv5272 Bacteria caused mitochondria to exist, what’s you expect?

[@j.l.5913]

In the supergroup Excavata of Eukarya, Parabasalids and Diplomonads doesnt have mitochondria. Still have hydrogenosomes and mitosomes respectively witch are degenerated mitochondria and evidence of horizontal gene transfer.

[@carlsm95]

Prokaryotes (bacteria and archaea) don't have them.

[@TheRogueWolf]

"...and while 'sludge' may not sound particularly delicious, sapropel is made up of decaying organic matter...." ...which also does not sound particularly delicious. (But then again, I'm not a giant amoeba, despite what some might say about me.)

[@neoqwerty]

Isn't yogurt technically decaying organic matter? Fermenting ANYTHING, too. Had overripe bananas multiple times, they're surprisingly delicious.

[@thighmeat6034]

thank god you are not a amoeba! Was afraid that my brain would be eaten in one bite by a giant amoeba

[@shubh.bapi_9423]

Duse obviously you're not an amoeba you're a wolf!

[@curtis7428]

I was expecting some expert descriptors there. "it's squishy" took me by surprise a bit.

[@grimiskitty1120]

"He said: It's squishy" Yeah That's, that's what I'd expect. I wonder if its traumatized from being petted though.

[@SlightlyAboveAverag3]

Imagine that. An creature that is all powerful in its environment being taken out and treated like a bunny. That would be a weird experience for sure

[@myrmatta1]

Its weird for a Stentor to look so small on this channel.

[@lurksnitchtongue8986]

Yet its also weird for a stentor to not look small

[@nagydoesstuff]

same

[@Nexus_545]

Loved seeing Pelomyxa next to what we've been considering to be "huge Stentor".

[@NewMessage]

My youngest just lamented that 'Our town's pet store is so boring!'.

[@nadiamillones9979]

Bored of mainstream pets? Pet a microbe instead

[@mastercharlesdiltardino8058]

Pets are boring, get that kid some livestock.

[@SDSypher]

@@mastercharlesdiltardino8058 livestock gets boring and tedious, get him on drugs

[@mslightbulb]

@@SDSypher drugs are to popular, get him something more... avant-garde, like nuclear waste.

[@TheRealSinisterPurple]

@@mslightbulb your kid will love having four arms! Get it now for just 5.99$

[@Irobert1115HD]

who else is for reclasifiying everything single celled that is larger than 1mm to macrobe?

[@KaiserMattTygore927]

YES

[@Green24152]

makes sense to me

[@hotaruishere2133]

@Jamilah Toenailkilla Aye! XD

[@leon_krk]

I think Macrobe was the name of an ancient roman philosopher

[@RishaadKhan]

Yes

[@Deeplycloseted435]

Dude....I know you’ve been a part, or are a part of several channels. However, THIS channel, stands out from the rest. Seeing the microbiome in HD video as opposed to photo or diagram, is SO much more interesting. The music choices could be better, but the laid back feel and presentation are excellent. Definitely one of my top “I’m high” channels.

[@FriedFreya]

Same. I'm p much constantly stoned and I love Journey to the Microcosmos and Sci Show, along with some other educational channels.

[@Rabcup]

@@FriedFreya vibes

[@scottydu81]

I kinda like the chill music

[@madil2259]

@@scottydu81 me too. 😊

[@DreadDeimos]

> The music choices could be better Are you kidding? It's perfect!

[@hyperactivehyena]

These little guys look like prank rubber barfs, in a very pleasant sort of way

[@JohnSmith-xf1zu]

I've got a killer headache, and a relaxing journey through microcosmos was just the thing I needed

[@dreamsprayanimation]

Maybe watching a video about Amoebas isn’t the best idea when you have a headache if you catch my drift.

[@MrQwint22]

I feel I need to give a heartfelt thank you for making these videos. These past 12 months have been particularly hard for folks like me with pre-existing anxiety issues. These videos are not only soothing, but are almost an existential salve. They remind me of the grand scale of the world and the ultimate smallness of these troubled times. I doubt I'm the only one you've helped pull through in extraordinary and uncertain days, so, truly, thank you.

[@gray42069]

Seriously I love this series so much. I've always had a fascination with aliens, and this channel feels like its exploring a whole other world (which, I suppose is kind of the point) and it's so soothing and comforting to me.

[@SaturnD]

*sees amoeba* Me: I would like to tuch it

[@spwolftech]

Touch the Bidoof!

[@d4v0r_x]

we all have a story, something once had then lost. we're all degenerates

[@preferablygeneric]

omg the name of r/wallstreetbets members, "degenerates" makes sense now

[@MrCantStopTheRobot]

I'm a regenerate.

[@razi_man]

LMAO as soon as I heard him say that they are called degenerates because they lost their mitocondria, I immediately understood what the insult degenerate meant. It is referring to people who have lost some part of their personality, more likely used for people who loses their innocence.

[@dracoaestas]

The visual of the vast arm of the Pelomyxa orbited by a flurry of comparatively tiny microbes is just gorgeous. It's as majestic as an elephant with a cloud of oxpeckers, or a whale diving through a school of fish.

[@new_romemusic4212]

Hold up, hold up. THATS WHAT THOSE ARE?! I've been seeing those my whole life and thought they were worms!

[@WinterGray8888]

You’re voice is so nice, its like the sound form of the concept of smooth

[@tuomasjarvenkyla6739]

I love the songs used in this one! For me this channel is really the perfect audiovisual experience while also being so incredibly interesting. Always excited when a new video drops.

[@Worldsawesomestguy]

Love your videos. They're really interesting and calming. You have a very soothing voice.

[@jakobraahauge7299]

In the early videos Hank uses his voice in an even more soothingly dreamy way - I miss those days

[@endorchild6086]

I agree, would absolutely love a podcast of this series 💗

[@coralely879]

These videos are borderline ASMR

[@TheCatAteMyShoe]

I shall name him Squishy and he shall be mine!

[@alphaamoeba]

And he shall be my Squishy!

[@Dogmicspane]

At around 1:25, who here said to themselves "squishy" and was validated when he said it's squishy.

[@adamdubin1276]

Am I the only one who finds Hank's voice to be incredibly soothing?

[@xioami135]

God I love this channel.

[@instaperil]

These videos are like watching art in motion.

[@robgraham5697]

My first thought when you stated they had multiple nuclei was these protozoans were precursors to slime molds. After statement about their loss of mitochondria perhaps they share a common ancestor. How do these animals reproduce? Through mitosis? Or do they bud offspring? Thanks for this channel. I learn something new every time.

[@Dragrath1]

multiple nuclei seem to be a trait that has convergently evolved in large Eukaryotes so I don't think it implies a common ancestor. Also note that they aren't animals as animal is a specific linage of Eukaryotes of which we are members

[@robgraham5697]

@@Dragrath1 Thanks. I knew animal was the wrong word but I was too tired to worry about the correct one.

[@nftmonkey4506]

Wow, the pure aesthetics of this video are amazing. When the microcosm is presented like this, it becomes way more interesting than what we get to see in a school lab for example.

[@RobertMilesAI]

They're kinda like dolphins! They evolved mitochondria/living on land, and then went "actually naaah"

[@nahometesfay1112]

I still can't believe some birds gave up on flight. Like I get that it's not a decision (well I guess birds could select mates purely on flight skills) and flight can be very costly, but... How do you give up flying‽

[@EungsuLee]

@@nahometesfay1112 By... Not flying...? Seriously, walking IS easier than flying when you have legs.

[@nahometesfay1112]

@@EungsuLee That's not necessarily true. Gliding is much more efficient than walking.

[@EungsuLee]

@@nahometesfay1112 I'm not talking about effectiveness. If there's no pressure to do so, why bother? Walk and chill.

[@nahometesfay1112]

@@EungsuLee I didn't say effectiveness I said efficiency. Why waste energy walking when you can glide without moving a muscle? Glide and chill.

[@singlikeyoumeanit3261]

"I've always wanted an amoeba. I hear they're quite friendly!" - Binky Barnes

[@madil2259]

6:43 "they are degenerate" Me: Don't you insult my pet pelomyxa!

[@pattheplanter]

Not even true. They have evolved beyond the need for mitochondria, unlike us primitives.

[@jzlazy1057]

@@pattheplanter I wish I was a degenerate...

[@jerponemyce9497]

Sometime I think of these microbes as pokemon. I already even costumized one in my crazy imagination. *My dream cell* • Eukaryotic • Has cell wall • Can detect and respond to light • About 30 * 50 microns in size • move by means of cilia • Has these symbionts: - chlorophyll - mitochondria - nitrogen fixing bacteria • Can tolerate a wide range of: - Temperature - PH - Salinity - Pressure • High radiation tolerance by means of: - Having 4 sets of it's genome - Producing antioxidants (which it can share to it's symbionts) • Can communicate using interspecie quorum sensing

[@KombuchaBuzzed]

Mine would be like a water bear.. walking aimlessly about.

[@benny_lemon5123]

Me: wow I want to pet a pelomyxa so badly rn My dog: * tilts head in confused betrayal *

[@Hoshimaru57]

I was today years old when I learned that the pleasant soothing voice narrating this series was Hank Green. How on earth did I never manage to pick out his voice before?

[@KOKO-uu7yd]

Aaahhhhh!!!!!!! I've got to go THREE WEEKS with NO "Journey to the Microcosmos"?!?!😱😱😱 I'll have to rewatch the archives 😍

[@lightbridge8833]

I actually laughed out loud in my workplace when you called the Pelomyxa degenerate!

[@mattclark7752]

we need a video about the pond tank.

[@kisnpisn4919]

great video as usual! interesting, soothing, captivating, informative, i just can‘t get enough of this channel.

[@Klathael]

When you showed them floating in the tank, I near on screamed!!!! I have been in a geothermally heated stream near my home town and had a few of these get tangled up in my leg hairs. Haven't been back since (got to another hot pool now lol) and now I know what they are. I can absolutely confirm that they are squishy lol. I thought they were a short worm trying to get at my skin to latch on xD

[@sombrero4316]

pff, I could have guessed it was squishy, the real question is what does it taste like?

[@izzaaay]

pond scum and degeneracy

[@CorkyMcButterpants]

Soggy chicken 😋

[@GordonFreechmen]

Squishy.

[@excuseyou7198]

Maybe it tastes fishy?

[@rosekay5031]

Sludge

[@cliff8459]

i think i have unknowingly killed many paleomyxa thinking they were worms in our tank, so thank you @microcosmos you saved my pond ecosystem!

[@theshermantanker7043]

To put their size into perspective, these Amoeba are wider than the armour is thick on all but the heaviest of the heaviest tanks from World War I

[@DieSmart]

This is brilliant! Thank you guys, it's unreal great job!

[@jasonlay2836]

Journey to the Microcosmos has some amazing narration hahaha, it's so relaxing as well i love it.

[@jennahmirrim3787]

I love this channel. it is totally visiting another world! Thank you!!

[@diego6237]

All of your videos move me and I tear up thinking about the beauty and complexity of everything. Thank you 🖤

[@feliksjakubow8372]

I love this channel and the music you choose for the videos is amazing!

[@defenderofwisdom]

This exploration of the life of the tiny universe is honestly one of the best things on KZbin. It is incredible, beautiful, relatable yet so alien, distant but ever present and just amazing. There is very little like this project. My regret is I cannot share these videos with my nephew and niece because of COVID.

[@smooshpopper2]

I feel like i'm playing the cell stage of Spore, and the stentor is something that used to be very big and threatening but now the pelomyxa is my new predator

[@KaiserMattTygore927]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/r6WaZGWHbp13hpo&ab_channel=4k200knee

[@matsveritas2055]

Thank you for producing this journey for us. A true treasure trove for those many without a proper microscope on their desk, and with soothing eloquent... poetry... to accompany it. Once more, thank you. 🙇🏼‍♂️ 🙏🏼 1ove 💚

[@jophmac]

Thanks for all the videos!

[@henryseldon6077]

Sure wish I could have seen a giant one in a human hand, a picture paints a thousand words.

[@F.RO.H]

"Here is my pet!" "Where?" "Right there!"

[@iliterallywillcommentoneve6875]

Narrator: _"Did you do it?"_ Josh: _"Yes, and it's squishy."_ Narrator: _"What did it cost?"_ Josh: *"Amoebiasis."*

[@MyFairDinkum]

Wow. I am so glad the KZbin algorithm brought me here. Subscribed! (Either it's getting better, or I'm branching out to better content subconsciously)

[@MattJett]

Ooohh! I've seen those little tiny things in the water tank I kept my turtles in when I was a kid. I always thought they were tiny worms or just some weird tiny parasite in the dirty water. Nope! I was looking at a microorganism. 🤯

[@purplehaze2358]

I feel physically dirty watching this quality of content for free.

[@nzuckman]

Good lord it's like a living booger

[@That80sGuy1972]

Thanks for the food for thought. I wrote a little "documentary" as a science fiction thing for a sci-fi race of a P&P game we used to play called Star Frontiers called Ameoba planet as the origin of Dralasites. Dralasites are single-celled organisms the size of humans that are very flexible in form. You just proved that Dralasites, a thing I fan-fictioned (not my creation) are actually possible.

[@freemotion21]

Mother: Son, that's a worm? Son:No, it's an amoeba 👌

[@JohnMichaelson]

The scales of and orders of magnitude of life are so amazing. Here you have this gargantuan field-filling microbe just a few mm in size on the slide and yet also visible with it and the Stentor at 2:10 are swarms of microbes or bacteria so tiny they are like mosquitos flying next to a blue whale.

[@zyxzevn]

Reminds me of "the Blob". Just be careful not to grow them too big.

[@nickcosimano5028]

This was the first video I watch on the channel. 4 months later and I have watched them all

[@MATLOCKE269]

This channel is amazing! I'm loving that the videos are so clear. How are these videos so clear? what kind of microscope and camera is used? Thanks!

[@khangsabb3752]

It's amazing that these have a single cell

[@zenniththefolf4888]

Human: Ooo squishy! Amoeba: *Sees giant finger coming down on it* OH GOD

[@biggreenblob]

You should consider making an episode based around wastewater treatment. Sometimes 80-90% or more of the treatment of domestic sewage is achieved through microbial processes - sometimes aerobic, sometimes anaerobic, sometimes both at once. Maybe try asking around with your local wastewater treatment facilities. More than likely one of them would allow you to see some samples, and provide some insight, possibly even an interview or two.

[@Strahbaerie]

This was amazing to learn. Thank you.

[@rzuczor3740]

my life goal is to pet an amoeba

[@GordonFreechmen]

Looks like our favorite squishy stentors just got out-squishied. Edit: Awww, the video ended just as the song was about that play that very last note.

[@IanGrams]

Wow, that shot at 2:10 is an amazing look into the scale of the Microcosmos. Pelomyxa can't even fit in view, the stentor looks tiny in comparison, and it looks as if there's a small swarm of what I presume to be bacteria to the left of the pelomyxa. All this across a few square millimeters. Life is truly remarkable. I can't thank all of you at JttM enough for giving me a whole new appreciation for microorganisms.

[@williamhardway6436]

Thanks Hank. Thanks James. Good season.

[@BE-uq9ew]

I love this channel. 💜 Please don't stop.

[@RookwingsKirk]

John Hegley wrote a song in the 80s about having an amoeba as a pet and now he actually can!

[@Avalon_Snowfall]

Amazing, these things are so interesting!

[@Diarmuhnd]

Thanks for sharing these images with all of us. Its just so damn interesting knowing how much life is all around us.

[@EnzomusPrime]

Hank Green talking in a calm and soothing tone. Can't get any better than this!

[@garyisok1]

brilliant. also love you have no dislikes - never seen that on a youtube video before

[@GrowlieDave]

WHHHOOOOOO! Season 3 down. Well done guys, you always amaze. See uou in series 4

[@flightlesschicken7769]

Love your profile pic

[@screamoXable]

Your videos bring me joy

[@ToxicityAssured]

As always, another great episode! Here's to season 4!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@Cryptile]

This video is so relaxing for some reason

[@fabanano6158]

I love how he sounds so bored, but yet, so interested in what he's talking

[@randomplit183]

teach me what this thing eats, what environment this blob prefers to live in, and where to find one, all so that I can make it into my pet.

[@brain.eating.amoeba]

Pelomyxa is also called Chaos and I LIVE for that

[@SlightlyAboveAverag3]

There’s a species legit called, Chaos Chaos. The Jevil references that could be made are limitless

[@acrazyweeb7225]

Pelomyxa: **Exists** "Superior" Human: I will pet you.

[@lolzyking656]

About the mitochondrial molecules being found in some, theres still some contention that it was due to contamination, that it simply had ingested them recently, not naturally formed them.

[@zachhoy]

I love the Hugo Weaving-like narration man, keep it up

[@stevengill1736]

Yup, we're excited about next season too...cheers!