Top 10 Things That Look FREAKY Close Up

Top 10 Ordinary Things That Look Weird Up Close

It’s about perspective. Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the Top 10 Ordinary Things That Look Weird Up Close.

For this list, we’re looking at ordinary objects that start looking anything but ordinary when you get a close enough look at them through a microscope or a similar device. You’ll never look at some of these things in the same way again.

#10: Snow

Snow can be gorgeous even when viewed under normal circumstances, turning the world into a pristine and magical-looking landscape. But get an even closer look and the white powder reveals itself to be a collection of stunning ice crystals that form into elaborate fractal shapes as they fall through the air. These come in an essentially limitless number of configurations, leading to the claim that no two snowflakes are exactly alike. We’re not gonna dispute that, especially after seeing just how complex and intricate they are up close. Besides, who has the time and energy to go around comparing snowflakes?

#9: Butterfly Wings

Butterflies come in a whole range of shapes and colors, definitely putting them towards the top of the list of “interesting insects”. This all comes from their trademark wings, which dwarf their bodies with their size and splendor. They might seem almost like fabric or flower petals at first glance, but these colorful wings are actually covered in tiny scales, almost like those of a fish. These scales, alongside specialized hairs, are what give butterfly wings their vibrant colors. And did you know that the term Lepidoptera, the animal order that includes butterflies and moths, comes from Greek words meaning “scale” and “wing”? Well, you do now.

#8: Alcohol

At the end of a long day, a nice drink can be a good way to unwind, so long as it’s in moderation. But if you start seeing things like this, you’ve either had way too many, or you’re enjoying your drink through a microscope. This may look like something from the inside of a kaleidoscope or maybe some futurist artwork, but it’s actually various alcoholic beverages viewed at a staggering one thousand times magnification. Who would have guessed that inside your favorite nightcap was imagery straight out of a trippy 1960s art movie, complete with vivid colors and mind-bending shapes? Far out, man.

#7: Ants

Let’s be honest, these tiny critters are rarely a welcome sight. After all, who hasn’t unexpectedly found them loitering in their kitchen, or had a perfectly good picnic ruined by a sudden invasion? But before you whip out a can of bug spray or start stomping, take a closer look. Yeah, they’re still terrifying. But up close they’re at least an interesting kind of terrifying, with their chitinous bodies sporting far more details than you’d expect. Microscopic hairs, almost mechanical bodies and of course those giant compound eyes, they’re almost beautiful when you think about it, in a nightmarish kind of way...

#6: Leaves

They may look like simple green plant matter, but surely by this point you’ve realized that nothing is ever as simple as it looks. A much closer inspection of the leaves of ordinary plants reveals that they aren’t too dissimilar from human skin, with hairlike growths called Trichomes and even pores. These serve much of the same functions that the hairs and pores we have do, helping to regulate temperature and moisture levels within the plant itself. Without these, plants wouldn’t be able to produce sugar or draw energy from the sun through photosynthesis. And in addition to these important functions, they look fascinating when observed through a microscope.

#5: Eyes

It’s kind of funny, isn’t it? The same organ you use to see is perhaps one of the most beautiful things to look at. Your peepers look positively mesmerizing up close, especially the iris, the part of the eye that gives it color and allows your pupil to contract or dilate as needed. When viewed extremely close up, the iris can look almost like a strange, alien landscape, with peaks and valleys that give it a unique and beautiful texture. And that’s just the iris! Travel just a short distance to the eyelashes and you’ll find yourself in something almost like a dark forest, rolling over the eyeball toward the tear duct.

#4: Aspirin

The odds are pretty good that you’ve downed one of these at least a few times in your life. First introduced in the late 1800s, the chemical compound known as acetylsalicylic acid is one of the best proven treatments for ailments including fever, aches and pains and more. We’re not going to recommend looking at a screen when you’ve got a nasty headache, but these microscopic images of the wonder drug almost make it worth it. Crystallized acetylsalicylic acid looks stunning, with a multi-colored look akin to stained glass windows or a kaleidoscope. A dose of vitamin C has a similar rainbow-infused look as well.

#3: Tongues

As by now we’ve realised, the human body can be pretty strange when viewed up close. Take the inside of your mouth, for example. For one thing, you’ve got the veritable fungal forest that is dental plaque. Trust us, you should be brushing more. But even the stuff that should be in there is pretty freaky looking. The surface of your tongue is coated with tiny organs called papillae, and the various types of papillae perform different functions, as well as containing the taste buds. And then of course there’s the whole host of bacterial colonies, some of which perform useful functions within your mouth everyday. Say ahhh!

#2: Household Dust

Cleaning up is never fun, especially when it comes to endlessly sweeping layers of common dust off of all your furniture and possessions. But maybe cleaning up would be a little bit more pleasant if you could see dust up close? What appears to us as an indistinct gray powder is actually a fascinating collage of different elements including skin cells, hair, plant pollen, pet dander and a slew of other ingredients. When viewed at extreme magnification, this makes mundane dust appear more like mesmerising glitter. But then again, there are also dust mites, which look ready to jump on your face and take over your mind at any second. Yikes!

Before we zoom in on our number one pick, here are some honorable mentions:

Caffeine

Maggots

Insect Eyes

#1: Skin

They say we should all be comfortable in our own skin, but that gets a bit less easy when you get up close to it. No matter how thorough your skincare routine, the human epidermis can look pretty scary at the microscopic level, with a craggy upper layer composed of flakes of dead skin cells over the still-living layer below. And then there are things like sweat pores, which look like terrifying pits or sinkholes from which a monster could emerge at any minute. It all comes together to make your skin look more like the surface of an alien planet, and definitely not one you’d want to visit anytime soon.