Light micrograph of Oscillatoria sp. (brown strands), a filamentous blue-green alga or cyanobacterium. The strands of alga are in fact linear colonies of primitive, single-celled, prokaryotic organisms, more closely related to bacteria than to algae. They are considered to be one of the most primitive organisms, dating back to pre-Cambrian times. The strands (known as trichomes) of Oscillatoria exhibit swaying motion & can also move backward & forward. The mechanism for this movement is not yet fully understood. Magnification: x200 at 35mm size.