Under the lens of a microscope, familiar objects can appear quite unusual.
In our weekly newsletter, we present a puzzling microscopic image and invite readers to identify what they’re observing.
This intriguing challenge is now available on our website.
This week’s image features a structure that resembles a satellite view of sand dunes, with a glossy, small object nestled among the folds.
Can you identify what this is?
Warning: Spoilers ahead!
For a bit of visual diversion, here’s the one creature that orcas avoid…
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Now, let’s delve into the mystery!
Narrow it down
a. Coral
b. Mite eye
c. Dried super glue
d. Fern sporangium
Answer below the image.
Are you ready for the solution?
This is your last chance to look away to avoid a spoiler.
Here it is…
3…
2…
1…
The Answer
The answer is b: the eye of a mite.
The smooth, dome-shaped feature among the ridges is indeed a mite’s eye.
Insects, crustaceans, and some myriapods have compound eyes composed of many lenses called ommatidia.
Mites, however, do not possess these. If mites have eyes, they are simple eyes known as ocelli, typically consisting of one to three pairs of single lenses.
Many mites lack eyes and navigate using touch and chemical signals detected by sensory hairs.
When eyes are present, they are positioned on the ‘shoulders’ of the body, above the legs, rather than on the head. This is where the eye is located, surrounded by the grooved cuticle typical of mite skin.
The long, parallel folds are not merely decorative; they are striations in the exoskeleton allowing flexibility as mites move, compensating for their lack of soft, stretchy skin like vertebrates.
This image was taken using a scanning electron microscope, which uses electrons instead of light for capturing highly detailed black-and-white images.
Mites are among the most abundant yet least understood creatures on Earth. While tens of thousands of species have been described, the actual number could be in the millions.
Most mites live their entire lives within a few centimeters of where they were born, experiencing the world, if they have eyes, through a single, fixed lens on their shoulder.
This article was fact-checked and edited by Michael Irving. While we strive for accuracy, we are only human. If you notice an error, please inform us.
