Photographic diary. Tardigrade hunt

Robbie grew moss and let it harvest so that we could get a microscope and search for some Tardigrada. We did find some little bugs and also an aphid.

Photographic diary. Dehydrated plantlife

photographs by niquita

This was Jono's plant battery research. He charged the plant with a battery which conducted and held a voltage level in the soil.

This is apart of jono's research section. I constructed a daisy chain a few months ago and have left it in the sun for two months now as it has slowly dehydrated but still remains intact. The effect of dehydration can be quite beautiful.

Scientist Talk - Dylan

Niquita's cousin Dylan is a bio-chemist and today he talked to us about the capabilities of the tardigrade in terms of the body and how we could ultimately use the body as the device.

He said that basically the tardigrade was not a plausible idea as we would be ingesting the technology every time and our stomach acid would destroy it. The tardigrade is also too big to soak through the skin so it would be hard to implement.

He showed us this project of the blood or sweat battery http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/blood-battery.htm which is a small chip implanted into the skin which feeds off bodily functions to create electricity. If we could utilise this technology some how to "power" our connection this would be plausible. There is also the option of a paper battery which could open a new set of possibilities. http://www.seminarprojects.com/Thread-paper-battery-full-report

http://www.livescience.com/1782-paper-batteries-powered-blood.html

He also said we could some how had the transmitters on protein cells. The idea behind it being if the somehow drank or soaked up the "switch" to connect the transmitter to the blood battery we could create a circuit that logs on and logs off according to how long the connection lasts. http://www.cryst.bbk.ac.uk/PPS2/projects/vun/PPS96proj_Vun.htm The cells would alter to suit the technology. It would be bound to our protein and essential become apart of us.

We liked this and sort of continued to come up with ideas about hackers using magnetic fields and EMP's to log people off - the idea of magnetic warfare. This plays on our whole idea of proper and if it is possible to keep everything "proper." We would have to look into induce the water in a different way to tardigrades but still using the idea of water as the vehicle for the network.

Group Meeting

Today in class we discussed jobs - this is where we are at...

Niquita is looking at Tardigrade Modelling and starting to plan the film with Elle

Robbie is finding tardigrades and looking at moss buildings

Tenzin is contacting Ben about the microscope and looking at network capabilities

Nathan is researching the wet sock theory to do with logging off

Jono is looking at the effects of the absence of water - dehydration

Elle and Ashley are having photoshoots of the tribes of network and how they relate - people as vessels and tribes

Electric Man

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x7089h_fastest-time-to-boil-water-through-body_sport

check this electricity man, he can be our candidate / spokesperson

Vessel

Vessel is defined as "a tube in which fluid circulates" wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn

This week I'm going to do some water photos with people to express circulating fluids and also making people into water - have contacted a few people about modelling for me just have to get replies - also will have to wait for a sunny day or else it will be freeeezing.

Water Cycle

This is a basic look at the water cycle - if we implement tardigrades into this water cycle what does that mean for the current natural system? I think we have people looking at most the aspects except the rain? What if it starts raining electronic tardigrades?

Biological Buildings

I found a company based in the UK that is building vertical gardens on the sides of buildings. LINK

There's a link on the page to growing moss on buildings but it says it's "hush hush"

"Growing moss and other plants such as liverwort in vertical situations, for a number of reasons, including an international arts project, a moss wall in Europe and a possible energy exchange system"

At the moment they're looking into different species and growing them on felt.

There's also a section on indoor vertical gardens. Below is an image of one such garden in a restaurant in Japan.

The botanist Patrick Blanc has a website HERE

According to his website he's the creator of the vertical garden or 'Mur Vegeta" He's also got really douche-esk pictures of himself posing on the homepage as an added bonus.

But if you go to his projects page he's got some really cool looking work. Good inspiration for the potential moss on buildings idea AND the perfect city home for Tardigrades if we end up using them.

Researching methods of logging off.

Thinking of looking into forcing the body to purge the liquid from the body i.e sauna etc. Found this weird thing called the wet sock treatment. Heres an exert from Bastyr Center for Natural Health website. http://bastyrcenter.org/content/view/197/

A natural method of stimulating the immune system and zapping a cold or flu
is called the “wet sock treatment.” The treatment, which is commonly prescribed
by physicians at Bastyr Center for Natural Health, involves putting
on ice-cold socks and … are you ready for this? … sleeping in them!

It may sound strange, but it works because it rallies the body’s
defenses, according to Jamey Wallace, ND, clinic medical director at Bastyr Center for Natural
Health. And the best part about it is that it uses the healing power of nature
and doesn’t cost
anything.

The treatment is known as a "heating compress,” meaning that it's up to the
body to heat the cold, wet socks, says Dr. Wallace. “The body reacts to the cold
socks by increasing blood circulation, which also stimulates the immune system.
You have to ‘rev up’ the immune system, so it’s ready for battle against the
affliction or condition.”

This treatment acts to reflexively increase the circulation and
decrease congestion in the upper respiratory passages, head and throat. It also
has a sedating action, and many patients report that they sleep much better
during the treatment. The treatment is also effective for pain relief and
increases the healing response during acute infections.

The wet sock treatment is used in conjunction with other modalities to
treat inflammation, infection or soreness of the throat, headaches, migraines,
nasal congestion, upper respiratory infections, coughs, bronchitis and sinus
infections.

It’s best to start the wet sock treatment on first day of an illness,
ideally repeating it for three nights in a row. People with chronic conditions
or a compromised immunity should consult with a doctor before starting the wet
sock treatment. Dr. Wallace also points out, “The wet sock treatment is only one
component of an integrated treatment plan that includes hydration, proper
nutrition and immunity-boosting supplements.”

After reading this Im considering designing a garment that will produce the same effect as what the "wet sock" does to purge the body of the tardigrades and "log off".

Water Experiment

Looking on the waterfront of people as water. Going to make it more realistic an use a model to show the whole idea of the body being the water vessel. Mini experiments into what may of may not look good.

Logging off

Ive been exporing options of how to log off from the Nyx Network, and how to purge the body of the tardigrades. I Researched into how the body attempts to remove harmful viruses from the body through sweating and photographed the image above.

Networking Visualisation

I've been looking into how to visualise I network in am image, so that our concept is easyily understandable to an audience. Precedent networks that I think would be good to draw parallels from are: spiderwebs, trees (branches and leaves), roots, or something more immersive and surrounding like smoke/haze/warmth.

Thus, I started to think of thermal vision and how that shows something that is otherwise not seen. I like that idea, perhaps to maintain a human dynamic our network is never seen by the naked eye, only felt. Perhaps if there a network error the technician could put on their 'Nyx goggles' and view it literally.

So I suggest a photoshoot where after we manipulate the image to expose the hive of tardigarde emitting their wireless networks. Perhaps similarly to how thermal vision shows varying degrees of heat....

Infrared Photography, looks really stunning but not hugely different to regular photography

Timelapse of effects of electricity on plants..

So after 9 hrs of filming, 3hrs of loading up to the computer and another three hours editing because the HD file is so MASSIVE. Here is 20sec of nothing much, electricity didnt do much.

Bugger, next experiment!!

Photographic diary. water bottle concept

The water bottle concept: drink the water which houses the "super tardigrada" and get 2040 gigs a second connection to The Nyx Network interweb access

 would you pick a drink from the past or take a sip from the brightened future magic juice? i'd choose the Nyx Networks fluid

Talk with Doug

Talked to Doug. Apparently really difficult to find Tardigrades. 100+ man hours for two people. They die easily, they get eaten by other things. They aren't big, need to be searched for with a microscope. In the samples we will be working with it's apparently like a whole different world of life - "Like trying to find a species of snake in the amazon rain forest."

Their "indestructible state" has to be induced somehow, Doug doesn't know how to induce it or get them out of it. While they're like this they're essentially like seeds but when they are in there normal living state they die very easily.

Doug's putting a microscope in the middle lab for us to use. He suggested going to the MET shop to buy science supplies and plastic box for the little containers he showed me to hold them. He also has a microscope with a Playstation camera attached, we can plug it into one of the macs and record at a microscopic level.

Said we should talk to a biologist - there could be an easier way of finding them. Apparently it's possible to buy colonies of them but NZ is pretty strict on things like this.

Doug also said that he thinks they might have slides of Tardigrades at Te Papa that we could go and look at.

Tardigrade model

I think it would be a good idea if we were to make a physical (scaled up) model of a tardigrade. Due to its complexity I think we should most probably 3D model it and then rapid prototype it. If we're going to make a physical connection to the tardigrade via some kind of nanotechnology we best get an understanding of its form. Here is a website that has a model which we could purchase for $150 or at least base our own model on.
http://www.turbosquid.com/3d-models/tardigrade-bear-3d-model/436525

We could rapid prototype a small tardigrade model, and then techno router a larger model perhaps the size of a cat or so, about 10,000 time the size.
From here we can visualise how this may harbor our networking technology and also take some really good photographs with it

Poison

We've been discussing the effects of enhanced tardigrades on the human body. We aim to integrate technology into water systems and this could lead to reactions in the body similar to poisoning.

I looked at different types of poisons and what sort of skin discolouration they produce. This correlates to the social aspect of our concept as if 'tribes' form, they pattern of their skin due to technological poisoning could be a factor in the grouping.

I abstracted the effects of argyria, copper toxicity, arsenic poisoning and acrodynia to visualise the tribal markings of the future.

Acrodynia (Mercury)

Arsenic Poisoning

Copper Toxicity

Argyria (Silver)

Alka Vita

This badass stuff will help align your acidity / alkaline levels in your body.

Water soluable, so what a sweet piece of inspiration, check it.

http://www.alkavita.co.nz/alka-vita

Petone Pure Artesian Water

Today, treated artesian water is supplied to residents of the region. However, pure untreated artesian water can now be enjoyed from taps at the new Petone icon, Te Puna Wai Ora (Spring of Life) in Buick Street Petone. The pure artesian water is free from micro-organisms and organic substances and is safe to drink in its natural form because it has been naturally filtered over several years in its journey within the aquifer. The pure artesian water is highly valued throughout the region and consumers travel long distances to collect the water for drinking purposes. 

(text from pdf as below)

(Highly valued? this is what we want our nyx water to be, we can have drinking wells like this?)

                         http://www.huttvalleynz.com/upload/documents/petone_water.pdf

Water Human Health Info

Water serves as a lubricant Water forms the base for saliva Water forms the fluids that surround the joints. Water regulates the body temperature, as the cooling and heating is distributed through perspiration. Regulates metabolism

Water makes up more than two thirds of the weight of the human body, and without it, we would die in a few days. The human brain is made up of 95% water, blood is 82% and lungs 90%. A mere 2% drop in our body's water supply can trigger signs of dehydration: fuzzy short-term memory, trouble with basic math, and difficulty focusing on smaller print, such as a computer screen. (Are you having trouble reading this? Drink up!) Mild dehydration is also one of the most common causes of daytime fatigue. An estimated seventy-five percent of Americans have mild, chronic dehydration. Pretty scary statistic for a developed country where water is readily available through the tap or bottle.


Some cool water facts check out the website below - for more. We could use these facts and play with the idea of hydration - over hydrating, under hydrating and people as vessels?

Website Link

Video of Tardigrade,

most Facts on the Tardigrade and the extreme survival capabilites of life

This is a short video of how the Tardigrade moves

Characteristics of the Tardigrada:-
1)Bilaterally symmetrical.
2)Body has more than two cell layers, tissues and organs.
3)Body cavity is partially a coelom.
4)Most possesses a through straight gut with an anus.
5)Body monomeric.
6)Body possesses 4 pairs of unjointed claw bearing legs.
7)Body possesses a fixed number of cells (eutelic).
8)Has no circulatory or respiratory system.
9)Primitive excretory organs in some species.
10)Reproduction normally sexual and gonochoristic, but can be parthenogenetic.
11)Feed on a plants or small animals.
12)All live in aquatic or damp places, normally associated with vegetation. 

Radical Evolution, Joel Garreau

Garreau discusses the projected future raising points relevant to what may sculpt Wellington 2040. I've scanned it to PDF but can't seem to upload it to the blog, any suggestions?

He proposes that during times of great technological advancement that cultural and societal adaptations become stagnant; they never coincide. Following a decade of technological advancements (much like what we have just recently had with the internet) he suggest a period of cultural and societal upheaval follows. Given we perhaps have two of these cycles before 2040, where may that place us? what may be the revolution or revolt following the internet, has it already been, and what may be the cultural reaction to the Nyx Network?

Perhaps too many questions but thats what this book has provoked, I suggest reading the introduction once I've uploaded it.

Tardigrada cyrptobiosis

They are masters of cryptobiosis, where they mimic death to survive environmental extremes
quite tricky little creatures.
Their original name was: bear-animalcule

under the microscope this is the face of the creature

This is the cellular structure it is made up of. It has a hardcase shell around the outside to protect it from death and other mites eating away at its exterior

the Water Bear

Description

Tardigrades are microscopic animals found in a variety of marine, freshwater and terrestrial habitats. They are often present in soil and litter, but seldom noticed by us due to their minute size - the majority of tardigrades are 0.3-0.5 mm in length. Tardigrada were first discovered in 1773, when German naturalist and parish priest J.A.E. Goeze observed a freshwater tardigrade and called it a “Kleiner Wasser Bär”, a “little water bear”. In 1776, the Italian abbot and professor of natural history Lazzaro Spallanzani gave these animals their present name — “Il Tardigrado” (“slow ones”) (Nelson and Higgins, 1990).

As these names imply, tardigrades have a micro-ursine appearance — with four pairs of short stumpy legs equipped with large claws — and walk slowly. Tardigrades are often white, or colourless and more or less transparent; some are brown, yellow, orange, pink, red or green. The body colour can reflect the pigmentation of the body cuticle itself, or can be due to the gut contents showing through the colourless body wall. Tardigrada have no specialized larval stage, and juveniles look like miniature adults. The tardigrade taxonomy is based primarily on the morphology of claws, cuticle, and mouth apparatus. 

Notes on Biology

Most tardigrades feed on plants, but a few species are carnivorous, feeding on soil nematodes and other minute soil animals, including other tardigrades. The tardigrade mouth contains a pair of stylets, and they feed by piercing plant or animal cells with the stylets, and sucking out the cell contents.

Similar to nematods and rotifers, tardigrads exhibit cryptobiosis (“hidden life”), a bizarre ability to dehydrate and slow down metabolic rate when environmental conditions are unfavourable. In the state of cryptobiosis tardigrades are able to withstand severe dessication, high pressure, and extremely low temperatures (such as being plunged into liquid nitrogen!). A tardigrade can survive in this state for more than 10 years, and sometimes more than a 120 years. Life span is less than a year otherwise.

Where to find them?

Essentially aquatic animals, all Tardigrada live in the thin water film on the surface of wet terrestrial substrates. Tardigrades are commonly found on the surface of mosses, lichens and liverworts, which cover stones and trees. Some tardigrades can be also found in the top 1-2 cm of many soils, and in leaf litter.

To find tardigrades, collect samples of moss or plant litter. First, spread moss samples in a thin layer, and leave at room temperature until dry. Then, place dried sample into a container with water for several hours to rehydrate. Agitate the sample, then squeeze out and discard the moss (litter). After the excess water is decanted, the remaining sediment will contain live tardigrades. To observe them, examine the sediment in a small amount of water under a dissecting microscope, at magnification x30 or higher. Boiling water or 75% alcohol can be used to fix tardigrades. They should be stored in alcohol for preservation. 

Distribution and conservation

The ability of tardigrades to withstand long periods of dehydration probably contributes to their dispersal throughout the world, as eggs, cysts and anhydrobiotic adults are disseminated by wind, water, and migrating animals. Many genera and species are cosmopolitan. Tardigrades are found throughout New Zealand. The diversity and ecology of Tardigrada are not well studied, and their role in ecosystems and conservation value are unknown.

this information was found from :
http://soilbugs.massey.ac.nz/tardigrada.php
there is a lot of links about the NZ tardigrada and books to look in also. Te Papa has information on this also

Dehydrated MOUSE

What about dehydrating a plant or fruit to see how much water it holds for a wee experiment? thanks ross!
Ive just been on the phone to MUM and she is going to send the dehydrator up in the post!! here we come dehydrated mouse!

Photographic diary. wellington's structures around water

Entry of man made structures into water. exposed around sea bed of wellington

Tardigrada information

The Tardigrade ..the water bear. an inbabitant that can survive through most enviromental conditions and one that could be plausable to house our future electrionics to create a network of connection

 "the variety of life"a survey and celebration of all the creatures that have ever lived  by Colin fudge

this book was great for gathering a small portion of information about the Tardigrade as it eneabled us to learn that the little creatures can be carried in not only the water but through the air and animals feet etc