Evident

Are we having an adventure in space? No, Artemis II returned to Earth, so we have to wait a few more years. BUT that doesn’t mean we can’t take a journey in a spacecraft under the sea, drifting through stars made of bioluminescent algae and CaCO₃, like this one. This is a starfish — not an adult one. This tiny explorer is only 2 mm wide. But every star has a story, and this one is just at the beginning of its cosmic journey. Starfish don’t start as stars at all. They begin as drifting travelers, microscopic larvae floating in the vast ocean like planktonic spacecraft, carried by currents instead of engines. In this phase, they are almost unrecognizable — symmetrical in a completely different way, more like tiny aliens than the iconic five-armed beings we know. Then comes the transformation. At some point, this free-floating voyager decides to land. It settles onto the ocean floor, and something extraordinary happens: its entire body reorganizes. What was once bilateral becomes radial, and slowly, arms begin to emerge — a star is born. From there, growth is a slow expansion into the universe of the seabed. Arms elongate, textures develop, and the animal becomes a silent, patient hunter, moving with hydraulic feet and an almost otherworldly calm. And the story doesn’t end there. Starfish can regenerate — lose an arm, and it may grow back. In some species, even a single arm can give rise to an entirely new individual. It’s as if every fragment holds the blueprint of a whole galaxy. So this 2 mm star you’re looking at isn’t just small — it’s at the dawn of something vast. A future architect of the ocean floor, a quiet survivor, a living reminder that even the tiniest forms can hold entire universes within them. Sometimes, the greatest space journeys don’t go up… they go deep ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● Microscope used: Olympus BX-60 Objective: 20X UplanSapo Camera: Canon EOS RP

🦐 Tanaidaceans: the fascinating differences between males and females! 🌊 Tanaidaceans, small crustaceans found in marine environments, are a perfect example of how nature can shape distinct roles between the sexes. In these tiny creatures, the differences between males and females go beyond size—they also involve behavior, morphology, and reproductive strategies. Males occur in two forms: small, mobile males (primary males) and larger, more aggressive males (secondary males). The former are specialized in quickly locating and fertilizing females, while the latter are more territorial—using their strong claws to guard females and keep rivals away. Females, on the other hand, have a more uniform body structure, optimized for reproduction. They possess a marsupium, a brood pouch where they protect and carry their eggs until the young develop. Compared to males, females are less mobile and invest much of their energy in caring for their offspring. This clear division of roles enhances reproductive success and allows tanaidaceans to thrive in a wide range of marine environments, from coastal waters to the deep sea. An evolutionary strategy that highlights a remarkable balance between competition and cooperation. 🌍🦐 ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● Microscope used: Olympus BX-60 Objective: 10X UplanApo Filter cube: UV Camera: Canon EOS RP

Spring’s here! 🐣🌸 As temperatures begin to rise (not fast enough imo, it’s still freezing in Montreal), sap in maple trees thaws and can be collected, then boiled and concentrate into syrup and transformed into candies, desserts, and just about anything your sweetest dreams are made of. Although maple syrup is primarily composed of sugar (sucrose), its chemistry and flavor are shaped by a complex interplay of factor like sap collection and processing methods, microbial activity within the sap, environmental conditions, and the packaging and storage of the final product. Not only maple syrup is composed of sugar but also a mixture of water, minerals, organic acids, amino acids, proteins, phenol compounds and even a few vitamins. Flavors and composition also varies depending on depending on the Country it has been produced! Canada, especially the province of Quebec, where I’m from, is by far the world’s largest producer of maple syrup, followed by the United States. It’s important to recognize that maple syrup was first introduced to European colonizers by First Nations, who deserve the credit for this knowledge and tradition! As you can see from my sample, sugar from maple syrup crystallizes over time and it’s mesmerizing to look at under the microscope! 🔬 Video taken with my iPhone mounted on an Olympus BX53 microscope with an @ilabcam adapter 🔬 @evidentmicroscopy

Two ciliates, suspended in a drop of water — small, almost invisible, yet fundamental to the balance of entire ecosystems 🔬✨ Captured in DIC with a flash mounted on the microscope, using a UPlanFL N 40x/1.30 objective, these images reveal not just form and movement, but function. Every cilium beating is part of a much larger story. Ciliates are key players in microbial food webs. They graze on bacteria and microalgae, regulating their populations and preventing uncontrolled blooms. In doing so, they recycle nutrients, making energy and organic matter available to higher trophic levels. They are, in many ways, the invisible link between the microbial world and larger aquatic life. In freshwater and marine systems alike, their presence is a sign of dynamic, functioning ecosystems. They respond quickly to environmental changes, making them powerful bioindicators of water quality and ecological balance. What looks like a simple organism is actually a complex, highly organized cell — hunting, feeding, adapting, and contributing to the flow of life in ways we are only beginning to fully understand. Tiny worlds, essential roles. ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● Microscope used: Olympus BX-60 Objective: 40X UplanFl Oil Camera: Canon EOS RP

Rotifers are microscopic multicellular animals, usually less than half a millimeter long, yet remarkably complex. They are found in freshwater, marine, and temporary habitats, where they play a key ecological role by feeding on bacteria, microalgae, and organic particles, helping regulate microbial communities and recycle nutrients. Their most distinctive feature is the corona, a ring of rapidly beating cilia that creates swirling water currents, allowing the rotifer to swim and direct food toward its mouth. Inside, they possess a complete digestive system and a highly specialized jaw structure called the mastax, equipped with tiny hardened elements that grind food with extraordinary precision. This image was captured using Differential Interference Contrast (DIC) microscopy, an optical technique ideal for observing transparent, unstained organisms. DIC works by splitting polarized light into two slightly offset beams that pass through adjacent regions of the specimen. Subtle differences in thickness and refractive index shift the phase of the light; when the beams are recombined, these shifts are transformed into contrast. The result is an image rich in detail, with enhanced edges and a striking pseudo-three-dimensional appearance that reveals structures otherwise invisible under conventional light microscopy. • • • • • • • • Microscope: @evidentlifescience BX-60 • Objective: PlanApo 60X

“An Alchemist’s Vow” A short clip that I made using my microscope 🔬 and a mixture of green ink, and soap. — Specs & techs — No added effects. No CGI or AI. Small contrast adjustments. Lighting : Reflexion, DIC Objective : 5X LabCam Ultra adapter: 15X Max magnification : 75X Speed: normal, 2X, reversed Microscope 🔬 BX53M @Evidentmicroscopy Recorded with an Iphone 13 in HDR Mounted on a Labcam Ultra adapter #microscopy #visuals #visualarts #art #Canada

Vorticella on the hunt Vorticella is a fascinating ciliate, anchored firmly to its substrate and doing what it does best. The stalk stays fixed while the bell-shaped cell pulses constantly. Beating cilia generate swirling water currents, pulling in bacteria and other tiny particles straight into the oral groove. And then—snap. The stalk contracts in milliseconds. A lightning-fast reflex triggered by the slightest disturbance, retracting the entire cell back to the surface in an instant. Amazingly elegant. A brutally efficient feeding machine. #macro_by_raghu @evidentmicroscopy

Tiny Otters of the Microscopic World Meet the Gastrotricha — one of my favourite recent finds under the microscope. These tiny aquatic animals are only a few hundred microns long, but they’re fascinating to watch. Why “tiny otters”? It’s the body shape and that smooth, effortless gliding motion. They move with remarkable grace, easily one of the most elegant movements I’ve seen among microscopic animals. This motion is driven by rows of cilia beating on the underside of the body. The fuzzy look isn’t fur, though. It comes from spines and cuticular structures covering the body, which is why they’re also known as “hairybellies.” #Gastrotricha #Microscopy #pondlife #MicroscopicLife #macro_by_raghu 🔬BX53 @evidentmicroscopy

Blanketing a Malibu beachrock, green threads form living ribbons turning sunlight into food, and feeding oxygen to the world above and below the waterline, filtering light into life. Though plant-like, seaweeds are algae—have no roots or leaves, only a flexible body called a thallus that anchors by a holdfast. These are likely Ulva intestinalis—gutweed. They are macroalgae, meaning they are visible to the unaided eye; seen through a microscope, Malibu’s green seaweed reveals elegant forms in happenstance compositions. Video and audioscape by Wonder Science. Imaged using @ilabcam and an Olympus BX-51 #polarized light with crossed polars .⠀ ⠀‍⠀‍⠀‍⠀‍⠀‍⠀‍⠀‍⠀‍⠀‍⠀‍⠀, * ⠀. . 🌊 ⠀✦ ˚ * .⠀ . . 🪸✦⠀     ,      . #ocean #algae #microphotography #greenalgae #photosynthesis #malibu #wonder #mrrogers #wonderscience #climatehealth @evidentmicroscopy

Hair, but with magnification 🔬🪮 Lighting : Reflexion, DIC, polarization Objective : 20X-50X LabCam Ultra adapter: 15X Max magnification : 750X Around 800 Images stacked per hair Microscope 🔬 BX53M @Evidentscientific Recorded with an Iphone 13 in HDR Mounted on a Labcam Ultra adapter #microscopy #visuals #visualarts #Canada #montreal #hair #shotoniphone #world #invisible #thin

Got Milk? 😂 So much to see over here 🤩 First off, I wanted to see what fresh cow’s milk looked like under the microscope. Like, straight up from the cow! I needed a special permission from the government just to carry and keep the sample at home, so you know it’s kind of a big deal. This milk can get real dangerous when evil bacteria are in there and replicate at the speed of light. We usually heat freshcow’s milk to get rid of these evil bacteria through a process called pasteurization! Without this process, it’s extremely dangerous to drink milk straight from the cow, so you better be drinking something safe! Whole cow’s milk is composed of about 87% water and the remaining 13% contains fat, protein, carbs, vitamins and minerals. What you see in the first clips are fat bubbles of various sizes. When this fresh milk goes through homogenization, the fat bubbles are broke down to smaller and more equal sizes. With the heat of the microscope though, some fat bubbles melt down and get together in both fresh and pasteurized cow’s milk. One of my favourite milk that I’ve looked through the microscope is soy milk! It’s mainly composed of water, like dairy milk, but it also contains protein, fat, carbs, minerals and vitamins. Under the microscope, we can see soy fragments as little crystals and some bigger chunks that haven’t been filtered. We can also observed (human) breastmilk under the microscope in this compilation! The bubbles you see are fat globules, which make up only about 4% of breast milk. The rest is roughly 87% water, 7% carbohydrates (mostly lactose), and 1% protein. I’ve posted a whole reel about breastmilk back in October if you ever want to learn more about it! I wasn’t going to stop there, I wanted to zoom into almond milk as well, and discovered tiny fat bubbles and nut fragments! There are also protein, carbs and sometimes added micronutrients like calcium, vitamin D and vitamin B12, but these aren’t visible through my lenses. The last milk is oat milk! It’s a bit more chaotic, it contains waay less fat than the other milks we’ve seen, so less bubbles! Oat milk is high in carbs, which are derived from oat starch and soluble fibres.

“Extraterrestrial ichor” 🛸👽 A short clip that I made using my microscope @evidentmicroscopy 🔬 and a mixture of inks, alcohol and secret stuff. — Specs & techs — No added effects. No CGI or AI. Small contrast adjustments. Reverse on the last sequence. Lighting : Reflexion, Darkfield. Objective : 5X LabCam Ultra adapter: 15X Max magnification : 75X Speed: normal to 1.3x Microscope 🔬 BX53M @Evidentmicroscopy Recorded with an Iphone 13 in HDR Mounted on a Labcam Ultra adapter #microscopy #visuals #shotoniphone #art #Canada