LabLulz: this microscope is the bee’s knees!

Figure A: The knee of a bee

I recently bought a 80-800x USB microscope. It has really good quality for less than $40, and I’ve been using it to get up close and personal with crystals, dead bugs, and gross parts of my anatomy. Feast your eyes!

A wasp, with a bizarre, insectile tonguemouththing. Proboscis. Weird.

One of my moles. Maybe it’s time I get it looked at, hm?

I wasn’t too thrilled to find out that I had warts, but they grow on you.

Iridescence in a bead of thermite residue.

Copper sulfate blocks

Feathers of copper acetate

Copper acetate closeup

I hope to get some polarizing filters and videotape the growth of chiral crystals, like sugar or vitamin C. Stay tuned…

dont forget the crystals

Magnesium sulfate crystals, clingin’ to a petri dish. Chillin’.

Another quick lab snap. These are some nice crystals I grew. I was washing an earlier, less photogenic crystal garden with alcohol, and catching the runoff in a petri dish. I let it evaporate and was greeted with this happy little accident! The crystals are magnesium sulfate, available as Epsom salt at most pharmacies.