There is a "local" in Euglena ...?
On April 3rd, RIKEN and Euglena announced that they would carry out a project to find their own local euglena, "Minna no Midorimushi Project" (hereinafter referred to as "Minmido Project").
Can you really find the Euglena here? We will tell you how the pre-implementation was carried out in this report!

First set

April 20th (Sat) 10:30, heading to Kikuna station in Yokohama city.

Meet at Kikuna Station

In front of the station, the participants of this time Our, Ltd., the research member Yamada, the public relations member, and three research members of RIKEN will participate in the "Minmid Project" this time. Five first and second year students and two teachers from Yokohama Science Frontier High School gathered.
Where are we going from here?

The collection place for "local Euglena" is the river.

Today's collection place is the place where RIKEN and Euglena predicted in advance that "Euglena can be collected here".
The place is the Tsurumi River. It's about 2km from Kikuna station and about 25 minutes on foot.

About 2km from Kikuna Station, walk to Tsurumi River

The weather is just fine, and the party walks toward the Tsurumi River.

A group of people walking energetically on Saturday aiming for the local Euglena

I finally arrived when I started thinking ... However, in front of the river, the grass is bobo ...

Finally the Tsurumi River, you can see the grass of Bobo

There should be "local Euglena" at the end of this grass, so of course I will push forward.

A party to cultivate almost unexplored land

I finally arrived at the river while avoiding trees and grass.

The target Euglena collection point

By the way, the point where the color of the water is green is the place where there are many phytoplankton such as Euglena, so it is the aim.

To collect Euglena!

At 11:00, the preparations were ready and the collection started.
Use a plastic container called a "centrifuge tube" to scoop up the water at the target area.

Good shot

High school students also try their best to reach out while paying attention to their feet.

While crouching down, thrust your hand into the river

After scooping the water, number the centrifuge tubes.

Numbering so you know where you picked it, not what you scooped it up

By writing the number on the map you brought to show the scooped place, you can know where the water was collected later.

At 11:30, scoop Euglena at about 6 places and finish collecting!

Centrifuge tube containing the collected water

After collection, we will head to the laboratory to discover "local Euglena" in the scooped river water!

One piece to commemorate with the collected water

Meet the rest! "Local Euglena" -The water has been scooped up, next time you can find it!

About "Euglena Project for Everyone"
-Let's collect local Euglena all over Japan that may save the earth! ~


"Euglena Project for Everyone" is crowdfunding,
Citizen participation type research (collection of "local Euglena") is planned based on the research funds collected by crowdfunding.

▼ Click here for cooperation in crowdfunding (target amount of 1 million yen)
 RIKEN crowdfunding
▼ Click here for participation in civic research to find "local" Euglena
 "Euglena Project for Everyone"
* Scheduled to start recruiting in June 2019