50 Interesting Pictures Showing The Insides Of Things We Rarely See (New Pics)

Serious institutions engage in this sort of fun as well. For example, sharing the joy and excitement of "hidden" science was the inspiration for Under the Microscope, an initiative launched in 2023 by the Nanoscale and Microscale Research Centre (nmRC) at the University of Nottingham, United Kingdom.

"Rather than guessing what people might be interested in, we thought why not just metaphorically hand the keys over to the public?" explains Luke Norman, knowledge exchange fellow at the nmRC. "So we've basically just asked the public every single month, what would you like to see imaged by an electron microscope?"

Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) probes the surface of solid objects by bombarding them with electrons that are then reflected back and collected by a detector.

The technique is similar to light microscopy, but because the wavelength of an electron is much shorter than that of a visible photon, SEM resolves the surface in much greater detail, with the top-performing instruments reaching up to one million times magnification.

At such an extreme close-up, even familiar objects like leaves and sand become extraordinary as their minute and bizarre structural features are brought into focus. “If you know what an object looks like in real life, you absolutely do not know what it looks like at the microscale! There’s a real curiosity from people to see that,” says Norman.

Since its start in March 2023, Under the Microscope has analyzed more than 30 ordinary objects ranging from lizard scales to gluten-free bread, and even a 14th-century manuscript complete with a dust mite.

The public is invited to suggest any solid object (provided it's obtainable), and each month, Norman's team selects one, posting the images online for everyone to enjoy.

Norman says the “Oh wow!” and “That’s really weird!” responses are exactly the kind of excitement he’d hoped to generate around electron microscopy and the work at the nmRC.

Approximately 9.4 million people were employed in jobs related to science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) in the UK.

The sector is considered important by many for future economic growth; however, 49% of engineering and technology businesses in the country report difficulties with recruitment because of skills shortages.

So initiatives like Under the Microscope help spark the much needed interest and awareness.

A TISP survey, conducted across 68 countries with almost 72,000 respondents, found that a large majority perceive scientists positively: 78% say scientists are qualified, 57% say they are honest, and 56% believe they care about people's well‑being.

While 83% of participants think scientists should actively communicate with the public, only 42% feel that scientists pay enough attention to the views of ordinary people.

However, this seems less about scientists not trying and more about how much is happening behind the scenes. If we could follow along and see what they’re doing and analyzing, we would probably care much more about their work.