As it is nearing the end of the semester, I wanted to generate some artistic output from my SCOBY collaboration. The microbiologist I am collaborating with suggested I take a sample to the scanning electron microscope (SEM) lab. SEM scans a focused beam of electrons over the surface of a sample that has been coated in a conductive material (such as gold). The electrons that interact with the sample produce signals that are collected by detectors which display them on a computer screen. This creates finely-tuned images depicting an alien-like microscopic world. Below are some of the images I captured of three different kombucha SCOBYs of various maturities.
Sample A is the least mature SCOBY, and sample C is the most mature. A SCOBY consists mainly of yeast, bacteria, and cellulose. If you have any additional interpretations of the structures in these images please comment below.
Microbial Mood 
One thought on “Scanning Electron Microscope”