# @science on Instagram

- **Type:** Video
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/DDaRVXbNBZo
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/61248052-science-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/postThumbnails/3efc927579.jpg
- **Posted:** 2024-12-10T20:03:34.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** Science 🧬 (@science) — https://gondola.cc/science

## Caption

"Don’t pour bleach down your drain, alright? 😅⁠
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I even found tiny amoebae! Don’t freak out just yet though, these organisms aren’t dangerous for us at all. They eat bacteria and fungi from your sink! And when they die, bacteria eat them. Just don’t go and eat that black sink crust alright?⁠
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Rotifers and nematodes are virtually everywhere; in soils, freshwater, marine water, mosses, lichens, in your sinks and some even chill in your washing machine filter.⁠
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Along with tardigrades, rotifers, and nematodes can enter a dormant state called cryptobiosis. When in this state, they can survive desiccation, meaning the complete loss of water from their body, for long periods. Rotifers can either enter cryptobiosis to escape fungal parasites but also to survive extreme cold or exposition to ionizing radiations. In a study from June 2021, a Bdelloid rotifer retrieved from the Arctic’s permafrost was able to come out of anhydrobiosis after being frozen for 24,000 years! No wonder they can survive easily in your bathroom sink.⁠
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In the first clip, you can see two bdelloid rotifers snacking on bacteria helped by their ciliated crowns called corona which is composed of thousands of small hairs beating together. Using their corona, rotifers create a water vortex that traps food particles, bringing them directly to the mouth. After entering the mouth, food is crushed by a modified pharynx called the mastax, which is a unique characteristic of rotifers. When chewing food, the mastax looks a bit like a beating heart, which can be confusing at first but rotifers do not possess a circulatory system!"⁠
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📹️ & 📝 courtesy of: @tardibabe⁠
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#tardigrades #rotifers #nematodes #amoebae #cryptobiosis #microbiology #biology #microscope #microscopic #science

## Stats

- **Views:** 110,396
- **Likes:** 3,308
- **Shares:** 0
- **Comments:** 41

## Tags

science, amoebae, rotifers, cryptobiosis, microscope, microbiology, microscopic, tardigrades, biology, nematodes

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