this post was submitted on 01 Jul 2026
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Science Memes

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top 39 comments
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[–] Zerush@lemmy.ml 8 points 10 hours ago* (last edited 10 hours ago) (3 children)

More interesting your skin under the microscope, better for your endorphines.

You are never alone

[–] FilthyHands@sh.itjust.works 1 points 3 hours ago

Sifl and Olly was an awesome show.

Bottom left looks like a friendly chap

[–] jagged@lemmy.world 4 points 9 hours ago (2 children)
[–] ignotum@lemmy.world 2 points 6 hours ago

Neurons activated

Endorphins released

[–] webp@mander.xyz 1 points 9 hours ago

I specialize it viewing your boobies. Don't worry, I'm a scientist

[–] psycotica0@lemmy.ca 10 points 13 hours ago (1 children)

Something about this reminds me if the I Spy books of my youth:

[–] mnemonicmonkeys@sh.itjust.works 5 points 12 hours ago (1 children)

I miss those tbh. A lot of them had cool Rupe-Goldberg-esque contraptions and I would spend a lot of time trying to piece together how they'd work

[–] 0ops@piefed.zip 2 points 9 hours ago

Those were awesome. Great now I'm all nostalgic

[–] ragingHungryPanda@piefed.keyboardvagabond.com 5 points 11 hours ago (1 children)

Here's one I took in Namibia! altr

and another, how it looks altr

[–] Hule@lemmy.world 1 points 3 hours ago* (last edited 3 hours ago) (1 children)

Very pretty! Why are so many translucent?

Edit: I assume they were ground down from the Glass Mountain, but waiting for an answer, still. :)

I think a lot of it came from the dessert and surrounding areas. Namibia has a somewhat strange condition where the wind moves today the ocean then back inland throughout the day, so some of it I think is from the land. This was also near the famous beach area where the tide comes in very quickly and you may have seen vehicles trying to race the tide to get to higher ground. I think also near there was a salt processing facility. So, I'm not exactly sure, but it was pretty!

[–] _lilith@lemmy.world 39 points 18 hours ago (5 children)

This isn't any more true than it was 15 years ago when I first saw it on imgur. Those are close ups of small shells found in some tropical sand that have been separated from regular sand. Sand isn't fucking magic its small rocks.

Also white sand is fish poop.

[–] TrickDacy@lemmy.world 16 points 15 hours ago

And yet if you look at https://magnifiedsand.com/ it is insanely cool and not too different from the images in this post. I don't think that entire website is fraudulent. Glad I didn't see your comment first because it would've turned me off of even looking into this further. When I did look into it further, I was thrilled.

[–] FishFace@piefed.social 17 points 16 hours ago (1 children)

White sand is calcium carbonate that has been eroded down to sand size particles. One way that happens is by parrot fish grinding it up, but weathering surely created the vast majority of it.

[–] CatsGoMOW@lemmy.world 5 points 15 hours ago* (last edited 15 hours ago) (1 children)

https://www.animalsaroundtheglobe.com/why-parrotfish-poop-white-sand-5-358789/

“On the Great Barrier Reef, for example, researchers estimate that parrotfish are responsible for producing over 85% of the new sand generated annually.”

[–] FishFace@piefed.social 4 points 14 hours ago (3 children)

How does that compare to the quantity of sand already in existence? There was a long period of time (millions and millions of years) when there were no parrotfish, but billions of tons of calcium carbonate being eroded by the weather.

[–] CatsGoMOW@lemmy.world 3 points 13 hours ago

Could very well have been other animals over time.

[–] mnemonicmonkeys@sh.itjust.works 1 points 12 hours ago (1 children)

How does that compare to the quantity of sand already in existence?

Seeing as there's now a shortage of water-eroded sand, probably a good portion of it

[–] FishFace@piefed.social 1 points 11 hours ago

Are you thinking of sand that's easily accessible (so not under many metres of sea) and suitable for use in concrete?

[–] Abyssian@lemmy.world -2 points 13 hours ago (2 children)

What a stupid thing to bicker about. Good work, people on the internet. o_O

[–] prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone 5 points 11 hours ago (1 children)

I didn't read it as bickering at all, just two people with an interest in sand, trying to get to the truth.

[–] Abyssian@lemmy.world 4 points 11 hours ago (1 children)

I might be extra cranky. I hate sand.

[–] prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone 5 points 11 hours ago

Fuck off, Anakin.

[–] FishFace@piefed.social 0 points 12 hours ago

We've all got our hobbies

[–] crimson_iris@piefed.social 2 points 17 hours ago

And how much of it is at least 50% microplastics now.

[–] SCmSTR@lemmy.blahaj.zone 1 points 17 hours ago (1 children)

Hajabawhat now? How is white sand fish poop? Isn't it just sand? Or do you mean like the white particles in mixed sand are fish poop?

[–] executivechimp@discuss.tchncs.de 3 points 16 hours ago (1 children)
[–] lividweasel@lemmy.world 3 points 9 hours ago

“This fish produces white sand” is pretty far away from “all white sand is produced by fish”.

[–] sharkfucker420@lemmy.ml 1 points 18 hours ago

Shhhhh, let them believe. It is okay

[–] phonics@lemmy.world 24 points 17 hours ago (1 children)

https://magnifiedsand.com/ shows you magnified different sand from different beaches across the world. Youre welcome

[–] grausames_G@discuss.tchncs.de 3 points 17 hours ago

That is really cool, thank you. Also it shows that, as some other comments said, the picture of the post are sorted, but also there are beaches with a high shell content.

[–] daannii@lemmy.world 11 points 19 hours ago* (last edited 19 hours ago) (1 children)

I too have a fondness of tiny worlds.

Do you know about diatoms ?

And there is a guy who makes art with them. https://youtu.be/qxkbSk--EUY?is=mXHpUGS7ghbE_xAM

[–] Deebster@infosec.pub 1 points 16 minutes ago* (last edited 12 minutes ago)

I hadn't heard of Klaus Kemp, diatoms, or the fact the Victorians were making microscopic art, so thanks for sharing.

It seems he passed away three years ago, but had a fascinating life: https://isdr.org/in-memory-of-our-friend-and-colleague-klaus-kemp/

[–] Marternus@discuss.tchncs.de 2 points 16 hours ago

It's so much better if u watch it in a (real) binocular microscope so u can see it in 3D and turn it around.

[–] Nima@leminal.space 3 points 19 hours ago

oh yayyyy! how delightful! =D

[–] espurr@sopuli.xyz 1 points 16 hours ago (2 children)

not sure why but these photos creep me outttt

[–] kuberoot@discuss.tchncs.de 3 points 10 hours ago

That's interesting, it doesn't creep me out but I can certainly see it, maybe something about the unknown of what the seemingly homogenous sand truly is. A world beyond what we can see, that we are ignorant to but that always has, and always will be there. Almost eldritch in a way.

[–] jaybone@lemmy.zip 1 points 14 hours ago

And I thought the bug sub creeped me out.