Making a BIG Deal Out of Small Things

You only have to look outside to be struck by the beautiful things God made. But that beauty doesn’t stop with what your peepers can see. Zooming in with a microscope shows a whole new world of awesome (don’t be surprised if your jaw drops a time or two).

Gecko Foot

Hairy feet may not seem like such a great thing to us. But gecko toes have millions of tiny hairs that split at the ends into even tinier strands. The molecules on the strands latch onto pretty much any surface and help these lizards walk upside down.

Gecko images: © Mgkuijers | Dreamstime.com, © Getty Images | Photoobjects.net
Insets: Power and Styred | Science Source

Compound Eye

Calling insects “bug-eyed” is a compliment. Their compound eyes are made of many tiny eyes (though not like ours) called ommatidia (ah-ma-TIH-dee-a). Inside these structures are light-sensitive cells. If hit with light, the cells send an impulse to the insect’s brain.

Image: ©C hrisp543 | Dreamstime.com, Inset Credit: Steve Gschmeissner | Science Source

Butterfly Wing

Magnifying those dazzling colors on butterfly wings makes them even more incredible. Tiny scales cover the wing in much the same way that shingles cover a roof. These scales are like colored dots on a computer screen—rearranging the dots creates the patterns we see. Some butterflies, such as the one below, have a special kind of scale that bends light like a prism, causing their wings to shimmer.

Birdwing butterfly image | madetobeunique.com, Inset Credit: Bob Jensen