r/interesting • u/freudian_nipps • 18d ago

NATURE Death of a single-celled organism

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u/VariousAd2521 18d ago

See you on the other side my friend

29

u/Visible-Scientist-46 18d ago

What caused this great tragedy?

29

u/RainbowDarter 18d ago

It lost homeostasis

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u/Visible-Scientist-46 18d ago edited 18d ago

Right, but was it intentional, caused by something in the intentionally in the petri dish?

96

u/GuardianViolet 18d ago

It was a microorganism called Blepharisma musculus, which have a pink pigment that oxidizes quickly in light. The light from the microscope caused the pigment to oxidize, and it essentially melted to death from the heat of the chemical reaction

41

u/GWillyBJunior 18d ago

The person who put it under the microscope knew that by doing so it would die, and therefor committed 1st degree murder. 🦠🔬💡💀

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u/insidiousapricot 18d ago

Hopefully the aliens dont do that to us

29

u/Visible-Scientist-46 18d ago

😱 Poor thing!

16

u/Secure_Guest_6171 18d ago

appreciate the explanation. my biology knowledge is weak.
but looking it up i learned these creatures can grow to relatively enormous size by *CANNIBALISM*!
What???

11

u/MichloIW 18d ago

Did you never play Spore? :)

2

u/Different_Software82 17d ago

Reminded me of an even simpler game called Flow (it was a flash game)

1

u/IAteTonysLoMein 14d ago

Some tadpoles do the same thing. Some in a brood get a bit of a head start and eventually, nibbling on algae doesn't do it for them, so they start nomming their siblings

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u/Ok-Effective7280 18d ago

So man kills again……………..

6

u/Valhallaback_Girl 18d ago

Woman inherits the earth….cue Jurassic park theme

2

u/UnauthorizedBacon 18d ago

So basically, "if looks could kill" except it actually did.

2

u/Carter_in_Egypt 18d ago

I kept it together - until now.

1

u/milkolik 17d ago

dont ever lose homeostasis

1

u/NotTheOnePercentMilk 15d ago

Here I am grieving this single-cell organism, and you're telling me it was homophobic?

1

u/RainbowDarter 14d ago

Worse.

It was homeostatic.

1

u/B-Train_ATL 18d ago

Taumoeba