Day 6 – Hair, Fur, and Fibres

 

Day 6 – Hair, Fur, and Fibres

What’s That Strand? A Microscopic Tour of Hair and Fibres

Collect:

• Human hair (different colours, thickness)

• Pet fur (dog, cat, rabbit if possible)

• Wool, cotton, polyester threads

Compare natural vs synthetic fibres, and zoom in on split ends and dye penetration.

🧵 Biology Blog – The Magic of Microscopes

Day 6: What’s That Strand? A Microscopic Tour of Hair and Fibres

Today we’re heading into the tangled world of hair and fibres—those everyday threads that hold our clothes together, make up our pets’ fur, and cover our own heads (unless you’ve opted for the aerodynamic look).

At first glance, hair and fibres seem simple—but put them under a microscope and they reveal patterns, textures, and stories you’d never spot with the naked eye. Some are smooth, some scaly, some twisted like ropes, and others packed with pigment.

So grab your microscope and a lint roller—it’s time for some forensic-style strand analysis!

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🔍 What You’ll Need

• A low-power or digital microscope

• A slide and coverslip or sticky tape

• A collection of fibres:

  • Human hair (from different people)

  • Pet fur (dog, cat, rabbit, etc.)

  • Wool, cotton, polyester, and nylon threads

  • Dyed vs undyed fabric fibres

  • Optional: a mystery fibre to identify!

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🧬 What to Look For

👱‍♀️ Human Hair

• Appears as a long, cylindrical structure

• May show cuticle scales if lighting is angled well

• Differences between thick vs fine, straight vs curly, and light vs dark

• Split ends, breakage, and dye bands can often be seen!

Fun to Try: Compare strands from different people—age, colour, or hair products can change the appearance.

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🐶 Pet Fur

• Usually shorter and finer than human hair

• Can be hollow or layered, depending on the animal (e.g. insulating undercoat)

• Some animals, like rabbits or cats, have downy fluff that looks cloudy or matted under the lens

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🧶 Natural vs Synthetic Fibres

• Wool: Wavy, twisted, may show scales

• Cotton: Flattened, twisted ribbon-like appearance

• Polyester: Smooth, shiny, uniform strands

• Nylon: Transparent, glossy, sometimes with bubble-like imperfections

Try This: Burn a tiny piece (safely!) to compare smell and ash—classic textile test!

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🔬 Hair-Raising Investigations

Use sticky tape to lift fibres from your clothes, sofa, or even classroom floor. You’ll get a true cross-section of daily life—stray hairs, mystery threads, fluff, and the occasional eyelash.

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👨‍🔬 Microscope Log Challenge

Record the source, colour, and texture of each strand and describe what you see.

Strand Type	Source	Colour	Shape	Notes
Hair	Human (Alex)	Brown	Round, smooth	Slight kink near root
Fur	Dog (Max)	White	Fine, wispy	Matted near tip
Fibre	Wool jumper	Grey	Wavy, rough	Irregular width
Fibre	Polyester fleece	Blue	Smooth, shiny	Very uniform

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📸 Top Tip: Contrast is Key

Place light hairs on black card and dark ones on white. Use side-lighting to bring out surface details like scales or texture.

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🧵 Tweet Teaser

What’s that strand? Hair, fur, and fibres reveal their secrets under the microscope!
From scaly human hair to shiny polyester, every thread tells a story. #MicroscopeMadness #HiddenWorld #HairAndFibres

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Hair today, gone tomorrow—but your fibre collection might just grow into a hobby of its own. Tomorrow we wrap up our microscopic summer tour with the floatiest, fluffiest blog yet: Pollen, Dust, and What’s in the Air!