Frank Eason, age i3, of Monroe, N.C., for his question:
Where do we find the amoeba?
He invades our homes and even our bodies, though he prefers life in the Wilds. Outdoors, within the range of a mile, there may be more amoebae than there are stars in The sky. Hosts of them share our world, but they are microscopic animals, too small for eyes to see.
When his name is spelled amoeba, the plural is amoebae. When We spell it ameba, We May refer to his teeming relatives as amebas. His name means changing, for his microscopic body is forever changing its shape. He is a one celled animal of the phylum Protozoa, and the average variety Of ameba measures about one hundredth part of an inch.
Amebas in teeming numbers populate the oceans. Others enjoy life in rivers and running streams, in creeks and stagnant ponds. Some uve in moist soil and others inhabit the bodies of animals. There are amebas in your intestines, and as a rule they are quite harmless.
Every ameba is a small miracle. Under the microscope, he looks like a mere blob of jelly. He has no head, no real legs, and even the ameba does not know his front from his back. But he can travel, hunt food and digest it. He has no smse organs, but he turns from heat and cold and brilliant light. When prodded, he rolls into a ball.
The ameba's single cell is Stuffed with soft cytoplasm, a magic jelly which assimilates food and Oxygen, repairs itself and hands on life. These vital processes are directed and controlled by the cell nucleus, a dense spot Of tissue embedded in the cytoplasm. The cell is sheathed by a thin membrane which lets in water, but prevents the valuable chemicals from seeping outside.
When the ameba travels, he sends forth flowing fingers called pseudopods. He can retract a pseudopod or allow his whole body to flow forward with it. From time to time the pseudopods flow and meet around a scrap of food, engulfing it into the cytoplasm where it is digested. When time comes to multiply, the nucleus and the cytoplasm divide in two. The ameba becomes a pair of twins and never dies from old age.
The ameba may be immortal, for he is rejuvenated every tame he multiplies and becomes a pair of twins. Barring accidents, he can go on living indefinitely. If he is a pond dwelling ameba, he can even cope with a long sie ge of drought. He simply encase:~ himself in a crusty cyst and waits until water refills his private pool. Then he emerges from his cyst and continues the vital processes, of life.