Amoeba+-+MB

=Introduction=

You jump into the neighborhood pond. Sure, it’s not the cleanest pond in the world, but, it's okay, right? Wrong! A few single cell organisms going by the name ** Naegleria fowleri-Single cell organisms. ** They can eat your brain, and, as a matter of fact, are a very sophisticated organism. They have cytoplasm. Along with a lot of other ** organelles-organ like parts of a cell that help it survive **. They’re a ruthless species that will stop at, only a few things, to destroy your brain.

toc =What are Amoebas?=

"A single-celled animal that catches food and moves about by extending finger like projections of protoplasm. Amoebas are either free-living in damp environments or parasitic." That is what Google defined amoebas as. To put what that long thing said into easier words, they are single cell organisms that use arm looking things that grab and surround their food, or helps them move. Amoebas can live in a damp environment or some kind of parasite. That parasitic thing, could be your brain. Nevermind, i’ll get to that later. Amoebas eat their food raw. They, “ingest” a whole organism or food particle and then slowly the cytoplasm digests it. I’ll explain more about that later.More on amoebas

=What are the Cell Structures of an Amoeba?=

There are loads of organelles that help the cell. First off, the ** Contractile-Capable of or producing contraction  ** vacuole store excess water so the amoeba doesn’t burst with all that water. When the contractile vacuole is full it pushes the water out of the cell. Also, the nucleus is the brain of the cell. It controls who does what and when. It also handles the reproductive systems. Amoebas reproduce through a process called **binary fission-A form of asexual reproduction**. This means that the entire cell splits apart and the organelles split also. So for a while there will be only half of a nucleus and only half of a contractile vacuole. This video below will show you the process of binary fission.If you want to learn more here you go, [|Organelles]

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=What Does the Cytoplasm do?=

The cytoplasm helps the amoeba in many ways. First off, it helps the cell move. It does this by pushing up against the cell membrane and pushing the pseudopods out in the desired direction. The pseudopod is a arm like organelle on the amoeba which extends and grips so that the cell can move. When the pseudopods extend they grip, the cytoplasm shrinks. Then the cell gets dragged to the extended pseudopod/s. Another way that cytoplasm helps the amoeba is by filling the cell. If the cytoplasm wasn’t there the organelles would all be crushed together and the cell would be super tiny. A final way that the cytoplasm helps the amoeba is by digesting the food the amoeba, “eats.” Once the cell absorbs the food or other organism the cytoplasm breaks it down and then moves the nutrients in the food to the organelle that requires it. That is how the cytoplasm helps the cell.

=Going to Eat Your Brain?=

Your brain, the control center of your body. Safely protected in your skull, right? Nope! Amoebas can find another way in, your nose. When you jump in a pond an amoeba can go up your nose and attach itself to your brain. Slowly it will eat away at your brain. This can lead to brain damage, and in some case death. I’m not going to go into too much detail, because, you know, this is for school. Anyway, these little things that you can’t see can kill you or change your life dramatically, tread carefully.(Literally!) If you want to read more about this go here, [|brain eating amoeba]

=Conclusion=

In conclusion, amoebas can be very dangerous, interesting, and intricate. They could eat your brain, confuse you, and are nearly invisible to the naked eye. Don’t worry about them though, there is only a small chance that they will eat your brain. So jump in, i dare you.

=References=

“Ameba.” mcwdn. N.p., n.d. Web. 7 Mar. 2016. .

“Amoeba.” enchanted learning. enchanted learning, 2001. Web. 7 Mar. 2016. .

Single-Celled Organisms Cochran, 1997. Video Segment Discovery Education. Web. 17/2/2016. .

Types of Cells: Amoeba and Animal Cell Discovery Education, 2004. Video Segment Discovery Education. Web. 17/2/2016. .

Yan, Holly. “Brain-Eating Amoeba Kills 14-Year-Old Star Athlete.” CNN. CNN, 31 Aug. 2015. Web. 7 Mar. 2016. .